Knight In Shining Armour
by Cursd818
Summary: The first time Dan speaks to Blair Waldorf, she is pushing Serena into a cab. But when Serena runs away to boarding school, what will they find to talk about? Blair/Dan eventually, Blair/Nate, Serena/Nate.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The second time Dan Humphrey spoke to Serena Van Der Woodsen was also the first time he spoke to Blair Waldorf– or more accurately, she spoke at him. It was Thanksgiving and in true Humphrey style all was at risk for the lack of a single pumpkin pie. Dan had volunteered to rescue them from the jaws of disaster and had emerged onto New York's sidewalk, victoriously carrying a pie in a box and informing his mother of that fact, when he saw _her_.

Serena Van Der Woodsen was strolling across the road to a fanfare of shouts and horns. She appeared completely unaware of the fact that one yellow cab squealed to a halt, narrowly avoiding hitting her, and a second that was not going to make it in time.

Dan's heroic attitude came to the fore instantly. He hung up the phone, ran into the road and spun Serena out of the way, dropping the pie he'd just acquired. He took a moment to mourn as the cab driver drove on, screaming abuse at them both.

Serena continued to walk, one of her arms in the air. Dan hurried after her, completely confused by her behaviour.

"Hey, uh, excuse me!" he called, stopping shy of touching her. "Do you need a crossing guard?"

She looked at him, her eyes unfocused, as a cab pulled up beside her. She stumbled towards it, pointing.

"Or a cab, maybe?" Dan watched her with concern.

Serena then caught sight of Dan's fallen pie. It had been run over in the seconds since Dan dropped it to save her. "Oh, pie!" she complained, slurring slightly.

"More like road kill now, but better it than you! Right?" Dan joked nervously.

Serena finally looked at him, truly focused. She looked stunning in a green dress with a leopard-print coat, but the stench coming from her was that of smoke and alcohol. Dan didn't care.

"I'm Dan. Humphrey," he added, offering her his hand.

Serena grinned as she shook it. "Hi."

"Hi," Dan gushed. "Uh ..." he was momentarily taken aback by how beautiful Serena was. "We met last year?" he enquired, seeing her attention, already scattered, being attracted by several different things over his shoulder. "You might not remember ... Yeah, you probably don't but you should be more careful –"

"You need to keep your hands off her!" Blair Waldorf had arrived, clutching two purses and looking at Dan as though he were something on the sole of her shoe. Dan felt the urge to chuckle. The best friends were chalk and cheese; oil and milk; light and dark. While Serena was a sparkly, lively blonde, Blair was a determined, refined brunette. She was also sober and taking charge of Serena with the skill that came from practice.

"Blair!" Serena squealed excitedly.

"Trying to take advantage of her over the holidays," chided Blair, giving Dan a firm look of disdain. "Come on, let's go Serena."

She dragged her best friend to the waiting cab and tried to stow her inside it.

"Bye Dave!" waved Serena as she obeyed Blair's hands.

"Bye," Dan sighed deeply. Blair cast him one more look with narrowed eyes, and then folded into the cab with the grace Serena had not shown. "Bye Serena," Dan whispered mournfully. The cab pulled away, running over the pie once more. There was a kind of irony to it, Dan realised, as he stared at the mess on the tarmac.

He had no idea how important one of the women in the cab would become.

Dan's crush on Serena had been born a year earlier during his freshman year on October 18th, when he had been mistakenly invited to a birthday party and she was the only one there to speak to him. He ignored the fact that she was rebellious to the point of illegal and used her family's money to facilitate said behaviour. To him, she was perfect. Such is the blindness of young love.

As for Dan, he was a nobody. His parent's insistence that he attend private school _for his education_ had made him the poor outsider within the confines of the Upper East Side society. The rich children had been taught to look down their noses at Dan Humphrey from Brooklyn, and Dan found that he hated them all. Particularly someone as snobbish and self-important as Blair Waldorf. It didn't surprise him that Blair had no idea who he was. What was disappointing, Dan mused as he surveyed his crushed pie, was that Serena didn't know him either.


	2. One

**One**

The second time Blair Waldorf spoke to Dan, he was in the wrong again. Another long and lonely Monday at St Jude's was approaching its end. He was sitting in the quad studying silently when Blair Waldorf walked past him. He automatically looked up and was surprised. Not only was Blair without Serena, but she was entirely alone. It was a rare occurrence. Blair's desire to be the Queen B – literally – was no secret to anyone, but while Serena's sun shone, Blair continued to be eclipsed by it.

Dan returned to his work as Blair, either not seeing him or not counting him as important enough to be an eavesdropper, made a phone call. She tutted rather loudly, distracting Dan yet again, and redialled. He sighed, realising that she was not going to be silent, and began to pack up. Quietly. Making a point.

"Hi Lily, it's Blair," greeted Blair. "I just tried Serena's cell and it was turned off. Where is she?"

Dan's attention was instantly grabbed by Serena's name. He tried not to look conspicuous as he listened avidly.

Blair seemed to sag suddenly. She sank down until she was sitting at the other end of Dan's bench. "What? What are you – I don't understand."

Dan listened even harder to the sound of distress in Blair's voice.

"Connecticut? Why on earth would she move to Connecticut?"

Dan's mouth fell open. Blair looked ready to burst into tears. She listened to a voice Dan was deprived of hearing, and he wished intensely that he weren't.

"Thank you." Blair hung up before she'd even finished the words. She stared at the phone as though lost. It was the first time Dan had ever seen such an expression on her face. It was a surprise that registered even through Dan's shock at the sudden, abrupt departure of his dream girl.

Blair looked suspended in the same feeling of grief, tinged with confusion and anger. That was something Dan couldn't understand. Blair and Serena were best friends, the best of all best friends, so how had Blair not known that Serena was leaving? Why the secrecy from her best friend?

Several different scenarios formed in Dan's mind. Maybe Serena's antics had become too much and she'd been forcibly packed off by her mother? He hardly believed that Serena would voluntarily leave everyone and everything she knew in favour of Connecticut.

Blair dialled and hung up several times. Dan knew, somehow, that she was trying again to reach Serena and balking each time at the thought of leaving a voicemail. The pain of such abandonment must be unimaginable, Dan realised, and felt touches of sympathy for this girl who suddenly looked small and fragile.

The third time Blair dialled she began to speak. "Nate, it's me. I don't ... Serena's gone, Nate. She left ... and she didn't tell me. Why wouldn't she tell me? Why would she leave?" there was a pause. Dan considered Nate Archibald. Blair's Prince. He was as unoriginal and boring as anyone Dan had ever met – not that he knew Nate well. Only from a distance, as always. All the same, Nate and Blair's relationship was something he never quite understood. Blair was a bitch but there was evidently something deeper, below the surface, especially if her current emotional state was anything to go by. Nate didn't seem deep enough to be able to cater to Blair properly –

But that was neither Dan's business nor concern.

"Please, call me," Blair was talking again, and Dan realised she was leaving a voicemail. "I need you."

She hung up with a crack in her voice and bright eyes. Glancing around, she noticed Dan, still listening rapturously, and strode over to him furiously.

"What do you think you're doing? That was a private conversation, whoever the hell you are!"

Dan saw the irony yet again. Blair had no more memory of him than Serena did. "I'm Dan. Humphrey," he added.

Blair raised an eyebrow. "What kind of excuse is that?" she demanded, and Dan had to concede the point.

"I'm sorry, I just ... I couldn't held hearing –"

"Because you were eavesdropping!"

Blair's fury was too great, Dan suddenly realised. Her eyes continued to sparkle with unshed tears and there was something about her manner that seemed perilous. She looked ready to drown. Dan was almost stunned into silence. He was the punch bag she was using to release her pain, and he didn't mind.

"I'm sorry," he repeated sincerely, taking the wind out of Blair's sails. "I know you and Serena are best friends and –"

"You listen up," Blair said, stepping closer, a threat in her voice. "If you tell anyone that I didn't know about –"

"I won't," Dan interrupted, standing up. He hesitated. "I promise."

Blair examined him, her eyes narrowed. "I know you from somewhere."

Dan blinked. "Uh ... maybe you've noticed me around school. I do go to St Jude's, after all."

Blair considered him closely. "No. You're the guy from Thanksgiving. With Serena."

"Yeah, that's me." Blair looked as though she were about to insult him again, so Dan added quickly, "I stopped her from being hit by a cab just before you turned up." He felt an urge to smirk at seeing Blair Waldorf momentarily speechless. It vanished instantly when Blair gave a devious smile.

"Really? Playing the knight in the shining armour, were you? Too bad Serena's not here to thank you properly." There was an edge of bitterness to Blair's tone that Dan couldn't help focusing on. It didn't sound like the insult Blair had obviously intended it to be. "Freshman?" she queried.

"Sophomore. Like you," Dan bristled.

Blair raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Then why don't I know you?" she demanded.

"I live in Brooklyn."

Blair's nose wrinkled in disgust. "No wonder you were downtown on Thanksgiving," she commented petulantly.

Dan chuckled humourlessly. The glimpse he'd had of another layer to Blair Waldorf was fading. He grabbed his bag and pushed past her.

"Hey. Brooklyn."

He turned back, frowning. "I already said I wouldn't tell anyone about –"

"Thank you," Blair spoke over him. Her voice was heavy with meaning. "For caring."

Dan remembered his attempt to comfort her: half a dozen unfinished and stilted words. Still, Blair was sincere in her appreciation and looked for a moment like the Blair from the phone call. Dan's ire at being called _Brooklyn_ and talked down to faded quite quickly and he nodded, giving Blair a small but very genuine smile.

"No problem." He paused. "Take care." He wondered why he'd said that the moment he turned away but knew he couldn't take it back. She probably thought he was weird, which was somehow worse than her not knowing him at all. Then, the reality that Serena Van Der Woodsen, the most beautiful girl in the world, was gone and he didn't know if he'd ever see her again crashed upon him and he forgot all about Blair's opinion of him.

Dan's next few days were largely spent on Gossip Girl, scouring it for news of Serena even as he reviled himself for acting like a girl. But information was scarce and he ended up learning nothing new. Serena Van Der Woodsen had run away to Connecticut for reasons unknown. The scandal was over as quickly as it began simply because nobody knew anything.

And with Serena gone, the Constance throne was up for grabs. Within a day, two friends had become rivals; Blair Waldorf and Penelope Shafai. And within a week, Constance was divided as the battle for Queen began.

And it wasn't as though Dan _cared_ or paid the feud any attention, but he couldn't help rooting for Blair. That tiny grain of sympathy he felt for her had only grown until he almost smiled upon seeing her snub Penelope and walk away with a few extra girls following her. She was no replacement for Serena Van Der Woodsen, but she was someone new to watch.

Unfortunately, Dan wasn't watching carefully enough as he rounded a corner and walked straight into Blair, knocking her books flying.

"Why the hell weren't you paying any attention to where you were going?" she snapped furiously. Dan crouched down and began to pick up the books, half ignoring her. "Oh, it's you," she realised, her fury dissipating. "The hero from Brooklyn."

Dan stood up and offered Blair her books. "Actually, my name's Dan. Humphrey."

"Whatever," Blair brushed aside, but she was smiling slightly.

Dan expected her to leave instantly, but she was distracted by the sight of Penelope striding by. Her hair was immaculate, her pout was perfected and following in her wake was a small group of eager girls who all averted their eyes from Blair. Penelope smirked as she strolled past, calling out instructions. She was obviously confident of her ascension to the throne.

Blair was silent for a few moments, obviously struggling with something internally. It looked as though she were unable to swallow.

"For what it's worth," Dan felt compelled to say, "I hope you win."

Blair looked round at him and smiled again. "Thank you ... Humphrey."

Dan nodded as he walked past her. A small thrill went through him. Someone at this school knew his name. And it wasn't just anyone, but Blair Waldorf. _The_ Blair Waldorf.

He continued to observe the war from afar. If you could call it a war. Penelope may have taken an initial lead, but she was being beaten back. Blair was sneakier and worked harder. She wanted it more than Penelope, and by God, was she going to get it!

And yet, she still found time to occasionally notice Dan. They weren't friends, of course, but something about him had caught Blair Waldorf's attention to the extent that she was soon going out of her way to find him.

"Brooklyn! Hey, Humphrey!"

Dan turned, knowing it could only be Blair, and he wasn't disappointed. She hurried towards him through the crowd, pulling her face when someone didn't move out of her way quick enough. She wasn't queen, not yet.

"Hello Waldorf. What can I do for you?" he cursed the use of words. He wasn't one of her minions! But now that he'd given the impression –

"I missed second period."

Dan raised an eyebrow. He'd noticed, for some reason, and also noticed that is was unusual for Blair to miss class. And then he'd ordered himself to do his work and stop thinking about someone else's classes.

"Can I borrow your notes?"

Dan paused. "Can't one of your minions lend them to you?"

Blair snorted. "Sure, if I wanted to fail."

Dan had to acknowledge she was right and began to search in his bag for the notes. Blair walked quietly beside him, and it felt strangely comfortable. Dan pulled the notes out and handed them over. She thanked him with the small smile he was getting used to.

"So why weren't you in class?" he asked.

Blair's face became stony. "I was in the bathroom. What the hell business is it of yours?" she demanded as she stormed off.

Dan missed a step, surprised by the sudden switch. Blair Waldorf did storming off very well, he had to admit. She walked with such anger exuding that everyone skirted round her. He shook his head and walked away, fully expecting to disappear into the background once again for the next three years. Whether he was entirely happy about that was debatable.

Dan had never minded being invisible at school. That didn't mean he was invisible everywhere. His father Rufus was a remarkable man with whom both Dan and his younger sister Jenny were very close. In fact, the whole family was close. Sure, Alison and Rufus argued, but didn't every married couple? And there was Vanessa, Dan's best friend for ten years. And at school, he'd had his crush on Serena to get him through the day.

Until both Vanessa and Serena left town almost simultaneously, leaving Dan with just his family, and there was only so much time a boy could spend with his parents and kid sister. Blair's occasional forays into his life had been much needed social interaction, and Dan knew he would miss them. And maybe he'd miss Blair a little bit too.


	3. Two

**Two**

Dan needn't have worried about being ignored. As he walked into school the very next day, Blair Waldorf slipped alongside him, proffering the notes she'd borrowed.

"Here you go Humphrey," she said, attracting his attention. "I'm done with these."

"Oh," said Dan with surprise. "I thought –"

"Thought what?" Blair interrupted, as per usual. It made Dan smile.

"Uh, that you might need them for longer," he lied, taking the notes and placing them back in his bag. Blair snorted and fixed him with a look that told him he should know better.

"Please. As if your handwriting would take that long to translate!"

Dan laughed and nodded his agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right," he conceded. Blair grinned at him angelically. "How's the war going?"

Blair looked slightly happier. "Good, thank you. I'm winning." That didn't surprise Dan. "But it must be said that Penelope is putting up a good fight." Blair shrugged with a devilish glint in her eye. "I'm actually quite enjoying it."

"I bet you wouldn't if you were losing," Dan pointed out.

Blair shot him a look. "Then it's a good thing I'm not losing.

"Definitely," Dan quickly agreed. Blair nodded, satisfied. She looked at him, assessing him carefully. Just as Dan was beginning to feel uncomfortable, she walked away.

Getting the feeling that he would never quite understand Blair, Dan continued into school. If he wanted to get into an Ivy, then he had to work hard, and distract himself from the memory of his parent's taut faces when they waved him off that morning. The tension had been almost edible. He'd been excited to leave.

And so, lunch rolled around. While all the other students were busy eating lunch and talking with their friends, Dan was sitting in a corner of the quad reading avidly. He had no actual work to do so was instead broadening his mind. That's how his Mom put it. It was a bit pretentious, but so were a lot of the rich and talented.

"My, my, you are quite the workaholic," said Blair as she sat down beside him.

Dan shrugged, still half-engrossed. "I don't have a rich daddy to get me into Dartmouth."

Blair's eyebrows rose. "You want to go to Dartmouth? So does Nate." Dan ignored the comment. "Well, you can't work all the time." Blair stood up and forced him to close the book. "Come on."

Dan stared up at her. "Where?"

She laughed at him and dragged him up. "We're having lunch on the steps of the Met."

"Why?"

Blair smiled. "A Queen needs a throne. Come on, I need more people." For some reason, Dan found himself following her and two other girls he eventually learnt were called Kati and Iz. They had made their allegiances clear, it seemed.

"I don't understand," he complained, hurrying to walk beside her. Kati and Iz both raised their eyebrows with shock. They were keeping pace at least half a step behind.

"I'm sure you don't. Knights in shining armour aren't known for their brains," Blair joked. Dan rolled his eyes. "But I shall take pity and explain. There is nothing so exclusive as a party you're not invited to."

Dan frowned. "What?"

"When the other girls find out I came here for lunch and I chose to bring a boy from Brooklyn instead of inviting them, they'll be furious. And desperate for an in."

"Hang on, what? You're using me?" Dan stopped, forcing Blair to stop too. She rolled her eyes.

"Come on Humphrey. Don't take it so personally."

"Take it personally?" Dan repeated incredulously. Blair sighed and walked towards him. "Why didn't you just get Nate to come and sit with you? Or –"

"Because," Blair said quietly, "I needed someone who cares. About me."

Dan was silenced. Blair thought that he cared about her. Kati and Iz were watching them, unable to hear what Blair had said. Dan followed them all quite placidly until they were sitting in Blair's arrangement on the steps. Blair looked radiant as she sat there, the queen of all beneath her, and Gossip Girl was almost immediately informed. Dan later read the posts and was horrified by his appearance in them, but at the time, he honestly didn't care and it wasn't as though he ever had any choice. One day, he was invisible. The next, he was the boy Blair had snubbed most of the Upper East Side for, including her own boyfriend.

It was scandalous material, and Dan realised he was to become a more permanent accessory for her. Again, he didn't really mind. Eating his lunch on the steps of the Met was slightly preferable to eating it alone with only Faulkner for company, mainly because Blair took a marginal interest. As more girls flocked to join Blair on the steps of the Met, Dan discovered just how shallow much of the dialogue was, and how much Blair enjoyed their moments of serious conversation. Well, conversation was a relative term. It was often a few snatched sentences about work or what book he was currently reading. Their banter remained witty and intelligent and they both enjoyed it. It was exactly what it was and the lack of games was both a relief for Blair and a necessity for Dan.

The fact that Blair Waldorf could associate with people without excessive manipulation was something that fascinated him. That he was the person she was doing this with made it even more incredible. He'd realised that Blair was right: he did care about her. He wanted her to be Queen, not because he thought she would perform the role better – in fact, he didn't think the role should exist at all – but because she worked so much harder for it. She deserved it. And she'd very nearly got it.

But that wasn't the Blair Dan was interested in talking to. It was occasional moments that stopped Dan from walking away from the Met steps to never return: now and then, he caught sight of something fragile in Blair's gaze. Her defensive attitude whenever Nate, Serena, or her frequent and long bathroom breaks were brought up showed a part of her that Blair hid behind her image of excellence. Bit by bit, the more Dan saw, the closer her felt to Blair. Which was bizarre. Dan had only felt close to one person out of his family ever, and Vanessa had broken his heart and run away. That wasn't going to happen here, obviously, but it still made Dan hesitant about the whole awkward friendship. If you could call it that. Maybe it was an alliance?

Dan contemplated it as he watched Blair fuss over Nate at break. Penelope was also watching furiously. She was being beaten into submission and Blair's relationship with Nate was the nail in the coffin. It was something Blair was fiercely protective over and would never let go.

And yet, somehow it all made Dan sure that Nate didn't feel the same way. When the first Gossip Girl blast implied that Dan was a rival to Nate – something he and Blair both snorted at – Dan had still expected some form of reaction from Nate, however preposterous the rumour was. Nate had done nothing. He was either incredibly secure in the relationship, or he simply didn't care that much. The more Dan saw, the more he believed in the later. There was distance in Nate's eyes whenever he looked at Blair, and Dan didn't understand it. If Gossip Girl were to be believed, Nate was wishing he was looking at Serena. Dan didn't know or care if that was true. All he knew for sure was that Blair was desperate to be Queen and Nate was her Prince Charming. Her life revolved around that scenario and from what Dan could see, her life rested upon foundations of sand.

Bad boy Chuck Bass approached the couple, sneered at Blair, and beckoned to his best friend. Immediately, Nate had abandoned Blair again, and she looked lost for a heartbeat before she saw Dan. The girls followed her across the quad and hesitated a few feet away. Blair was almost in control. She sat beside Dan with a smug smile on her lips.

"Humphrey," she greeted. Dan rolled his eyes.

"Waldorf."

He never understood her insistence on using his surname. It implied distance, but given Dan's still-unhealed wounds over Vanessa's departure, he wasn't objecting to that too much.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" asked Blair.

Dan shrugged. "Nothing. That essay for History is due next –"

"Whatever," said Blair dismissively. Dan wasn't surprised. He even smiled a little. "You have plans now. We're going out," Blair told him. The bell rang and she stood up.

"We're what?" asked Dan, frowning.

"I'll pick you up at nine thirty. Don't oversleep!" Blair added as she left.

Dan sighed. He was getting increasingly accustomed to Blair steamrollering through his life and disrupting everything. His family, however, weren't, and the next morning they were confused when Dan announced that he was going out, having put it off because he had anticipated their reaction.

"Where to?" asked Rufus as he cleared away from breakfast. Jenny was doing her homework with Alison's help. The whole family was gathered around the kitchen counter.

"I'm not entirely sure. Blair just said we were going out."

Rufus and Alison simultaneously looked up.

"Like a date?" they asked together, and Dan laughed.

"No, definitely not. It is in no way a date. She has a boyfriend. And I wouldn't – no."

"Wait, Blair Waldorf?" squealed Jenny, suddenly excited. "You're hanging out with Blair Waldorf!" Jenny's eyes sparkled and she positively bounced in her seat. "Oh my God!"

"Who's Blair Waldorf?" asked Alison, confused.

"She's Serena Van Der Woodsen's best friend! Her Mother is Eleanor Waldorf, the designer! She's like Upper East Side royalty!"

Alison's jaw clenched for a reason Dan didn't understand.

"The fact that you know all of this about someone you've never met is creepy," he told Jenny and headed to his bedroom to get ready. He heard the conversation continue behind him, but paid it no mind. This wasn't as big a deal as they were making it out to be. When nine thirty came he practically flew through the loft, calling out a quick goodbye, and managed to avoid any further grilling. As he stepped onto the street, a cab containing Blair pulled up. He couldn't help noting how synchronised they were with each other as he climbed in.

"How do you know where I live?" he asked.

Blair shrugged airily. "I'm Blair Waldorf." It explained everything. "Hello," she added pointedly.

"Good morning," Dan replied with false haughtiness.

Blair wrinkled her nose at his words. "Definitely for you. You're about to witness how money spends money."

Dan hesitated as the cab pulled out into traffic. "Wait, we're going shopping?" Blair rolled her eyes. Dan could practically hear the implied _obviously_. "I am not going shopping! Absolutely not! Call one of your minions."

Blair laughed. "I want some intelligent conversation for longer than five seconds and an honest opinion. Who else can I get that from?"

Dan was tempted to retaliate, but had already resigned himself to his fate. He sat there, sulking. Blair leaned over with that sugary sweet smile that seemed to make her untouchable ... and always resulted in forgiveness.

"Come on Humphrey. You'll have fun, I promise," she said kindly.

And surprisingly, Dan did. Their first tour of a shop resulted in a continuous stream of mockery. Dan ridiculed the sales assistants who fawned over Blair and the dresses she was examining while Blair accused Dan of not having any taste, as evidenced by the clothes he wore. They both laughed. But when Dan began to tire of the continual walking, judging and the huge amounts of money exchanging hands, Blair took pity of him. They ended up in the shoe section and Dan was lounging in a chair with a cup of sweet tea while Blair scrutinised shoe after shoe after shoe.

"I don't know," murmured Blair thoughtfully, twisting this way and that as she examined her reflection in the mirror. "Brooklyn. What do you think?"

Dan stared at her. "You're kidding, right?"

Blair rolled her eyes. "Get over it and answer the question!"

Dan glanced at the shoes she was trying on and shook his head, wondering how his life had come to this. "I don't know anything about fashion."

Blair rolled her eyes. "Just tell me if they look good or not. That is your only job."

Dan snorted. "What about carrying your bags and your coffee and –"

"Humphrey!" Blair exclaimed, her eyes hard as stone in the mirror. Dan sighed and looked back at the shoes. They were good, he supposed, but what did he know about shoes?

"They're ok," he shrugged noncommittally. "I mean, they … they look like shoes."

Blair turned to glare at him properly.

"I mean … what I mean is that they make your feet look ... small, and your legs look …" he trailed off, dragging his eyes from the straps over her ankles and up shapely calf …

Blair smirked at Dan's reaction. "I'll take them," she told the sales assistant. "I never knew you had a leg fetish, Humphrey," she teased, and Dan looked away with bright cheeks, hoping the ordeal was over. Taking pity on him, Blair hailed a cab when they stepped outside the department store.

"Hungry?" she enquired, and Dan nodded. His arms were aching as he lay back into the cab seats. Blair prodded his shoulder until he sat up. They ate in a cafe that Dan was sure charged more than his parents paid in bills, but since this was Blair's thank you, he didn't worry. The conversation continued to flow easily, as it had done all day, and when Blair dropped Dan off with a sincere thank you and a shirt he hadn't noticed her buy, he gave her a sincere smile. There was no point arguing about the shirt, and it did look good on. He hid it immediately after trying it on and ignored his family's attempts to entice him to reveal the day's events – although Jenny knew most of it from Gossip Girl. That he was the subject of another post didn't surprise Dan. It was part and parcel of the Blair Waldorf experience, and he'd now had enough time immersed within it to be fully prepared for the road ahead.


	4. Three

Three

The bomb was unexpected and sudden; the kind which causes the most devastation. Blair Waldorf was decimated. She sat through the conversation completely horror-struck, and finally could take it no more. Leaping up, she ran into the elevator and stabbed at the down button. She let out a breath of relief when she wasn't followed. Opening her phone, Blair scrolled through her contacts. Nate. She needed Nate. She needed someone who loved her to just make everything feel ok again –

His phone went straight to voicemail. Blair sobbed and sank to the floor. She'd never felt so small and helpless. Where was he? She called the Archibald house and once again was greeted by the answering machine.

The elevator opened and a couple about to step in did a double take, looking at Blair on the floor.

"What are you looking at?" Blair tried to ask scathingly. Instead, her voice broke. "Get out of here! Go!"

The couple stepped back, shocked, and the doors closed. She looked at her phone again and carried on down through her contacts until she reached Serena. She hesitated, pressed call, and immediately hung up.

There was only one person she could think of, and she didn't even have his number. Blair stumbled out of the elevator, head down to avoid the concerned gaze of the doorman, and hailed a cab. The driver looked at her with distress in the rear-view mirror.

"Where to?" he asked gently.

"Brooklyn," Blair stammered.

During the time the cab journey took, Dan was being forced to sit through the horror of a fashion show. Jenny and Alison had been out shopping and sewing, and Jenny was now showing off her latest wares in front of Dan and Rufus. Both men were horrified.

"What do you think?" asked Jenny, twirling in front of them. Alison's face was shining with pride. Dan and Rufus exchanged glances and Dan couldn't help but remember being in the same situation with Blair only a few days before.

"It's uh …" he stammered.

"Very short," commented Rufus.

"Yes, short – I mean," Dan quickly backpedalled when he saw Jenny's devastation and Alison's frown. "Short is good. Short is fashionable. Short is – oh, there's the door!"

He leapt up gratefully. Alison was looking at Rufus with the anger she never seemed to be without lately. Dan ran to the door and opened it. He was instantly shocked. "Blair?"

She looked out at him from red-raw eyes. "Help me," she whispered and stumbled forward. Her face was suddenly buried in his shoulder, her arms tight around his neck, and she was crying noisily.

Dan's eyes widened and his arms rose in a gesture of surrender. "Uh …" he glanced to his left to see his family watching with curiosity and disbelief. "Blair … what's wrong?"

The question only made Blair cry harder. Rufus began to mime to Dan, who obeyed the silent instructions and put his arms around Blair. He moved her hair away from where it tickled his face, smoothing it to the side, and noticed Blair seemed to grow quieter when he did so. He continued to stroke her hair and back, at a complete loss for what else to do. When it became clear that even with his gentle movements Blair was not going to stop crying any time soon, Dan awkwardly managed to close the front door and walked backwards into his bedroom, Blair following, still sobbing desperately onto his shoulder.

"Is everything ok?" asked Alison. She looked as out of her depth as Dan felt, unsure of how to handle this situation.

"Uh …" Dan glanced at Blair's dark hair. "I'm sure it's nothing. Probably a fashion emergency or something." He wanted Alison to leave them alone. He had been foreseeing this for weeks: the breakdown of everything perfect. And he knew Blair well enough to realise that she wouldn't want too many people to be watching her fall from grace. That she had come to Dan was indecipherable – and something of an honour – and Dan was determined not to let her down. He wondered what it was that had fallen apart so badly as he successfully closed the door on Alison's concerned and Rufus's amused faces and guided Blair to his bed. She sat down and buried her face in her hands. As Dan fetched the tissues on his bedside table, he grimaced: his shirt was soaked.

"Here," he offered them to Blair, and she grabbed a handful of tissues and pressed them against her streaming eyes. Dan sat down awkwardly next to her. "You don't have to tell me what it is," he told her. "I don't –"

"My dad's leaving my mom," Blair sobbed.

Dan sighed, horrified by the gravity of the situation and the pressure it put upon him to do something to make her feel better.

"For a man!"

Dan's eyebrows shot up. He almost laughed, but realised just in time how insensitive that would be. Instead he reached out and put a hand on Blair's shoulder. "It's going to be ok."

It sounded pathetic, and Dan resolved to stay silent until he could think of something useful to say. For a moment, Blair appeared to get herself under control, and then she was bawling onto his shoulder again. The suddenness of her movement resulted in Dan laying on his back with Blair on top of him, sobbing into his chest. He considered asking her to move, and then returned to stroking her hair. She would cry herself out eventually.

He lay there for what felt like hours until Blair hiccupped into silence. Unfortunately for Dan, she had fallen asleep on top of him. He sighed, wondering if it was worth the risk of waking her to try and get up. Taking the decision from him, Blair's bag began to vibrate loudly, and Dan had to move quickly. Somehow he slipped from underneath the exhausted Blair and snatched up her bag, running from the room. Rufus and Alison were standing behind the kitchen counter and watched him riffle through Blair's bag until he found her phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Who is this?" Harold Waldorf demanded.

"It's Dan. Humphrey. I'm –"

"Oh, of course. Blair's friend," Harold interrupted.

Dan was speechless. Her parents knew of him! Blair talked about him. That settled it. This evidence combined with her choice to come here on this day of all days – they were friends. He was quiet for another moment. He only had one friend in the world, and it was _Blair Waldorf_.

"So she's with you?" asked Harold sadly.

"Yeah, she's with me," Dan admitted. It was pretty obvious, since he had answered her phone.

"How is she?"

"Well, she was crying but now she's asleep. I think she's exhausted."

Harold sighed. "I see. I suppose she's safe if she stays with you?"

Dan hesitated, glancing at his parents. "Yes, sir. Of course she is."

Harold sighed again. "Ok. Take care of her, please."

"I will." Dan hung up and slumped onto one of the stools in front of his parents, head in his hands.

"So she's asleep?" asked Alison, and Dan nodded. He wanted to add finally but thought that a little too harsh. "Ok. So now we can get on to what's going on," said Alison expectantly.

"I'm sorry about her just showing up like this," said Dan. "She's a bit upset."

"Since when have you been friends with Blair Waldorf?" demanded Jenny from the couch. Her eyes were bright with excitement.

"Uh, since … I don't know," Dan admitted. "I just am."

Rufus chuckled. He poured some milk into a saucepan and added some cocoa powder. "What's the matter with her?"

Dan rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Her dad's gay and leaving her mom for another man."

Silence descended. Then, Alison's maternal instincts kicked in. "Oh my God, that poor girl!"

Dan nodded. "Yeah. That was her Dad on the phone. I think he thinks that she's going to stay here," he broached the subject awkwardly, and Alison nodded instantly.

"Of course. We shouldn't wake her. She can stay."

"But you're on the couch!" Rufus added, pointing at Dan with the chocolate coated wooden spoon he was using.

Dan nodded. It went without saying. When Rufus had finished making the hot chocolate Dan took two cups into his room. Blair was awake and lying on her back, looking at the ceiling, silent tears gliding over her cheeks.

"Here," said Dan quietly, offering her one of the steaming cups, glad he'd brought two on the off chance. "Are you hungry?"

Blair flinched at the statement. She took the hot chocolate from Dan silently.

"We have Ben&Jerry's in the fridge," suggested Dan. Jenny always kept a stash for when she watched one of those dreadfully predictable chick flicks.

"No thank you," Blair croaked. She took a sip of the scalding liquid. Dan joined her. Even though it burnt his tongue, he couldn't help but enjoy the taste of cream, chocolate and tiny melted marshmallows.

"This is good," Blair murmured, and Dan nodded.

"My dad makes it."

Blair's eyes filled up again, and Dan cursed himself. He reached out, a hand gripping Blair's wrist tightly. "I'm really sorry," he whispered, and Blair closed her eyes. She took a shuddering deep breath and then opened them again.

"Your –" Dan stopped abruptly, realising that mentioning Blair's parents would be a bad move. "Dorota called," he lied. "I said you were staying here."

Blair's face screwed up, and Dan thought that for a moment that Blair was seriously going to turn her nose up at him. "You're a terrible liar," she told him instead, and Dan grimaced.

"Ok, it was your Dad, not Dorota."

Blair winced a little, but she managed a smile. "Thank you Humphrey," she thanked him sincerely. "For helping me."

Dan shrugged awkwardly. "Forget it, Waldorf." They smiled at each other, and for once their surnames weren't separating them.

Blair's eyes drifted around the room. She grimaced. "Why is that wall a garage door?" she asked, and Dan grinned. The return of Blair's snobby attitude was a relief; it was something he understood.

Blair stood and crossed to his bookcase. "Is this Cedric?" she asked quietly, and Dan blushed red. He'd forgotten that he told about his Cabbage Patch Kid. Blair plucked the doll from its place and cuddled it close. It seemed she wasn't quite back to normal.

"Do you want to watch TV?" Dan asked, eager to distract Blair from her sorrow, but she shook her head and returned to the bed, clutching Cedric close to her chest. Her face was smeared with mascara and her hair was messy and damp: Blair looked younger than he'd ever seen her. Vulnerable.

"What can I do?" Dan asked. Blair would not be distracted, but he had to do something.

"I don't know," Blair replied honestly. She was quiet for a moment. "I called Nate and he didn't answer. And then I thought about Serena …" she was silent. "My boyfriend and my best friend are the people who should be here, and instead I'm with you." Dan blinked as Blair realised her mistake. "That's not what I meant. It's just … ironic that my best friend in the whole world right now is a boy from Brooklyn who likes to rescue damsels in distress."

Dan considered this, and decided to take it as a compliment. "If it makes you feel better, you're my best friend too," he said with a smile. Blair rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't. Your best friend has class!" Dan laughed. "And it's not like there's anyone else around is there?"

Dan frowned. "Hey, that's not true. I have other friends."

Blair snorted. "Where?"

"Vanessa Abrams. I mean, yeah, she lives in Vermont, but that doesn't mean she's not still my friend. I hope," Dan added after a moment's pause.

Blair sighed. She lay down, cuddling Cedric. Dan hesitated before lying beside her. "You're really lucky," she told him. "Your parents are still together."

Dan shifted uneasily. "My family isn't perfect. My mom and dad fight. A lot, actually." He frowned.

"Mine never did," murmured Blair. "Everything was so perfect. Why did this have to happen?"

She was on the verge of tears again. Dan was now getting used it and he reached for her tenderly. Blair rolled into his arms and cried quietly. Once again Dan's shoulder grew damp, but he no longer cared. She was his best friend. In the space of a few hours, Blair had suddenly become the most important person outside of his family. It was his responsibility to take care of her the same way he'd taken care of Vanessa, and if his clothes were stained with mascara, he would just have to deal with it.

Exhausted, Blair was almost asleep when Alison came into the room with a pair of pyjamas. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight of Blair sprawled across Dan's chest.

"I think it's time for bed, Dan," she said firmly.

Neither Blair nor Dan were embarrassed. Blair took the pyjamas from Alison and thanked her profusely for the hospitality. Alison was instantly charmed, and Dan was pleasantly surprised to see Blair act so nicely to his family without any apparent snobbery. Wishing Blair a good night's rest, Alison told Dan she had made him up a bed on the couch. On the way to it, Dan paused at the door.

"Are you going to be ok?" he asked, and Blair smiled at him. If her smile was a little watery, what did it matter?

"Goodnight Humphrey."

"Sweet dreams Waldorf."

**NB** Thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews =] The response to this has been better than anything I expected! Next chapter touches on Blair's bulimia - you've been warned if that kind of thing freaks you out!


	5. Four

**Four**

Dan dozed fitfully. The couch wasn't quite long enough for his growing teenage body. He could hear Rufus snoring gently. The light under Jenny's door turned off eventually as she too went to sleep. The loft was as silent as any place ever was in New York. Dan stared at the ceiling and was beginning to drift off again when the door to his bedroom opened. Blair emerged in the darkness. She stumbled across the hall into the bathroom, not noticing he was awake. Dan lay there quietly, waiting to make sure she made her way back into his room safely.

The minutes passed and Dan sat up suddenly. The sound of retching was coming from the bathroom. He padded across the loft and opened the bathroom door. The light blinded him for a moment, but he knew he hadn't mistaken the sight of Blair's fingers down her own throat.

They froze, suspended in a moment of disbelief and horror that seemed to elongate and last for much longer than the few seconds it really was. Dan then hurriedly closed the bathroom door, mouth wide open. He needed a minute to process this before actually speaking to Blair – her sudden long absences every time she went to the bathroom made sense. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it earlier!

Bulimia. He tried to remember what he'd read about it in health class. He knew it involved binge eating and low self esteem. He'd never seen Blair binge, but he could see all too clearly how low her self esteem was. It was something that had concerned him and now his worry had increased tenfold.

Blair came out of the bathroom after a little while looking scared, ashamed and defiant all at once. Dan, waiting by the door in a state oh shock, led her to the couch and they sat down side by side in silence.

"How long?" asked Dan carefully. He knew that one wrong word could make Blair fly into a defensive rage, remembering that idle enquiry about why she'd missed an important class at school. Now he knew why.

"A while," Blair replied quietly. Then she began to speak, as though a damn had burst. She was crying again. Dan could hear it in her voice. "It got really bad a while ago and my parents sent me to a doctor. I thought I was better. Serena was there, she helped me through it. And then she left …"

Blair hiccupped.

"She didn't even tell me she was going. I called her house when she didn't turn up to school and Lilly had to tell me. I don't know why she left. I don't know where she went. I haven't spoken to her."

Dan reached out and took Blair's hand, remembering her face that day. He hadn't know, hadn't seen how bad it was. He was ashamed of that. Blair clung to him as though he were the only thing holding her together. The dark was comforting now. There was no embarrassment between them. All they could see were faint outlines.

"Everyone leaves me," Blair whispered. "My Dad's going to France with … with _him_!" she spat out. "Serena's gone. Nate's … I don't know where Nate is. My mom …" Blair whimpered. "She never wanted me."

"You don't mean that," said Dan gently.

"I do. She preferred Serena. Everyone prefers Serena and she's not even here!"

Dan bit his lip. "That's not true," he told her.

"How would you know?" Blair bit back.

"Because I used to have a crush on Serena," Dan replied. He rolled his eyes. "And then she left and you dragged me into your world and if she hadn't left, I never would have met you. I wouldn't change any of that."

He thought Blair might be looking at him, but it wasn't clear. Then he felt her head rest on his shoulder.

"Thank you." They were quiet for a while. "I try so hard to be perfect," Blair whispered. "To be someone important. And then this happens."

Dan stroked her hair again with his free hand. They shifted until Blair was sitting in his lap, curled up against his chest, shivering with horror. Dan wrapped the blanket around them both.

"You have to stop doing it," he told her gently. "I'll help you."

Blair nodded meekly. "I'll call Doctor Sherman tomorrow."

"Good." Dan nodded into her hair. "And I'll help you get through what's happening with your parents."

Blair sighed. "This is nice," she said almost happily. "I've been so lonely."

"What about Nate?" asked Dan curiously. To hear Blair talk, you'd have thought she was happy with her boyfriend. How could she be lonely?

Blair laughed cruelly. "Nate's never there when I need him. Ever."

Dan tightened his hold to combat the heartache in her voice. She responded by sinking deeper into his embrace. He felt as though he understood her, at long last. As though her pain was an open book that he could finally read. Somehow they'd been distracted from her bulimia, but maybe addressing this was more important. Maybe this was the cause and by treating this, Dan could make her bulimia disappear.

She felt so delicate and frail. Making herself sick could only make that worse. She needed to eat. Dan eased her off his lap and headed for the kitchen, turning on one of the lamps so that he could see. Blair watched him tiredly, as though she knew what he was about to do. It had been done before. This reaction was normal.

Dan quickly made her a ham salad sandwich and walked back, offering her the plate with determination. She accepted it and ate without any mutiny. Dan washed the plate once she was done and turned off the light. Blair yawned without restraint in the dark. Her short bursts of sleep had done nothing but tire her out even more and she stood up.

"Dan?"

She'd used his name. It emphasised how much had changed in just one day.

"Yes, Blair?" he'd never called her that before, but it sounded easy and familiar.

"Will you … stay with me?"

Dan realised immediately what she meant. He knew that if he agreed his parents would throw a fit, but he couldn't leave Blair on her own after what had happened, and so he followed her into his room. The bed was rumpled from where she'd got up in the night and he climbed in, pulling Cedric from under his back. Blair crawled in and curled up against him, taking Cedric from him and clinging to the doll as she did Dan. He dragged the blankets over them both awkwardly, and they lay in stunted silence.

Dan had never shared a bed with a girl before. He had always slept on the couch whenever Vanessa was round, even as young child, and therefore had no idea what he was supposed to do. Blair seemed completely at ease, curled around him, and he eventually cuddled her back. Her warmth and the sound of her breathing were soothing and his nervousness gradually faded.

"Talk to me," she urged. "Tell me something that will distract me."

Like what? Dan was instantly amazed at how quickly his mind emptied. He seized on his last train of thought.

"I told you about Vanessa, right?" And it seemed Dan's damn had burst too. He found himself describing the whole thing: his confession of love that had chased Vanessa all the way to Vermont. He talked about his dreams for the future and the many notebooks he'd filled with nonsense that he hoped would one day become bestselling novels. He even outlined his fear for the marriage of his parents. He paused then, afraid that he would remind Blair of her own plight, but she remained relaxed.

"I've never done this before," he admitted. "Shared with a girl."

"Not even Vanessa?"

"No."

Dan didn't know if Blair thought he meant shared a bed, or if she'd realised he meant the stories he'd just uttered. He liked to think she understood him well enough to know what he meant.

"Me neither," Blair assured him.

That should have been surprising given Blair's relationship with Nate, but Dan didn't even pretend to wonder why he wasn't shocked. This was no time for falsehoods. He understood Blair as well as she did him. They lay in silence, content and relaxed and gradually their eyes were drifting shut.

"Goodnight Dan."

"Sweet dreams, Blair."

They fell asleep, and Dan held Blair tightly all night, protecting her from the evils of the world. He was woken by Rufus shaking his shoulder, roughly enough to wake him, but not Blair. The look on Rufus's face foretold danger. Dan followed Rufus out of the room anxiously.

"I thought you were sleeping on the couch. What changed?" Rufus demanded.

"In the night, Blair …" Dan paused. This was Blair's secret. It wasn't his place to tell it to the world. "She woke up and she was really upset, so I tried to help her and I fell asleep. I did start out on the couch."

Rufus glanced at the messy blankets and pillows still lying on the couch.

"Ok," he said, still obviously unhappy with what had happened. "I won't tell your mother. You'd better tidy up," he added, and Dan nodded gratefully and hurried to it. By the time Alison came out of her room, Dan was sitting at the counter awaiting Rufus's waffles.

"Did you sleep well?" Alison asked, kissing Dan's forehead as she walked past.

"Not bad," Dan shrugged, avoiding Rufus's eye.

The doorbell rang, a wonderful distraction, and Dan went to answer it. Dorota, Blair's maid, stood there holding Blair's uniform.

"I bring this for Miss Blair," she explained, looking at Dan anxiously.

"Yeah, of course," said Dan, reaching for it. Dorota, however, refused to let go.

"Is Miss Blair ok?" she asked, her voice low and urgent. Dan smiled at her.

"She will be," he promised, and Dorota nodded, relinquishing the uniform. She hurried away and Dan closed the door. "I'll wake Blair up. We've got to get ready for school," he said on his way past his parents. He walked straight into his room to see Blair still asleep, holding onto Cedric tightly. He was saddened that she didn't look so innocent and young all the time.

"Blair, it's time to wake up," he urged, hanging the uniform up by his wardrobe. "Come on. My dad's making waffles."

"I hate waffles," Blair mumbled, her eyes still tightly shut.

Dan paused, instantly worried. "But you're going to eat something, right?"

Blair looked up at him and smiled reassuringly. "Yes, I will. I promise."

Dan nodded. "Dorota brought your uniform round. I'll let you get changed." He grabbed his own uniform and made for the bathroom before Jenny commandeered it. Ten minutes later he was digging into his waffles when Blair emerged. She looked flawless and had somehow persuaded her hair to look freshly washed and styled in a chic ponytail. She approached the counter.

"Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey, I wanted to thank you for letting me stay here," she said as sweetly as she could.

Rufus and Alison both smiled at her. "No problem," they assured her.

"How do you like your waffles?" asked Rufus.

Blair wrinkled her nose. "Actually –" then she hesitated, and slipped into the seat beside Dan, apparently deciding not to rock the boat. "Do you have any maple syrup?"

Dan raised an eyebrow, but Blair appeared to thoroughly enjoy her waffles. Jenny came out of her room and looked star struck to see Blair there looking as perfect as usual.

"Hi. I'm Jenny, Dan's sister," she greeted excitedly.

"Hi Jenny. Nice to meet you," Blair replied calmly.

Jenny looked as though she were about to burst with happiness so Dan leapt up. "We really should get to school, Blair! Look at the time!"

Blair stood up and smiled at the family. "Again, thank you so much."

"Have a good day!" Rufus called out as Dan hurried Blair out of the loft.

"I thought you hated waffles?" he asked as they walked down the steps. Blair giggled at him.

"Nobody hates waffles," she told him. "I just … avoid them." She shrugged and smoothed a non-existent crease in her uniform. Dan almost asked why. Blair's eating disorder was more complex than he'd first thought. The first thing he'd be doing that day would be research.

"So how are we going to get to school?" Blair asked when they reached the street. "Cab?"

Dan snorted. "Bus."

Blair laughed yet again. "I don't use public transport, Humphrey. Come on. I'll hail a cab." She stuck her hand out. Dan rolled his eyes.

"You are not going to manage to get a cab in the middle of the rush … hour …" he trailed off as a cab pulled up next to Blair. She smiled smugly at Dan as she opened the door and climbed in.

"I guess I have a knack that you don't!" she teased, and Dan shook his head, resigned. Because of the cab, they were early and headed to a secluded corner of the quad for privacy. Dan took Blair's hand and squeezed it for support as she pulled out her phone and dialled. Within a minute, she had an appointment with Doctor Sherman straight after school, and the moment she hung up, made Dan promise to go with her. He agreed happily, glad that she was taking this as seriously as he was.

He realised he was still holding her hand and released it before they were photographed and splashed all over Gossip Girl. It seemed this had happened not a second too soon as Nate arrived and walked towards Blair.

"Hey, I got a missed call from you last night," he greeted, ignoring Dan, who slipped away. He wondered why Nate hadn't called her back once he'd realised he missed a call instead of waiting to ask now, but decided it was none of his business. Even if he was Blair Waldorf's best friend.

**NB I'm not sure how well I handled the bulimia-bit - how do you think I did? Next time, some Blair/Dan bonding in a cinema? This is totally how I think Film Forum should have gone btw lol. And how do you feel about a Nate/Dan clash fairly soon?** Reviews are gold =]


	6. Five

**Five**

Blair's family was the talk of the school, and Dan was horrified by some of the spiteful things being said. He wondered if a day or two earlier, before their friendship had been called a friendship, he would have cared as much.

Lunch came and Dan hurried to the Met steps. He found Penelope holding court and no Blair in sight – until he felt her hand on his back. She was glaring at Penelope.

"That bitch," she swore. "My father hasn't even moved out yet and she thinks she can use that against me?"

Dan smiled at Blair's indignation. He offered her his arm.

"Leave her. Let her have this one day and we'll go and get some lunch," he suggested. Blair looked from him to the steps thoughtfully. She'd been seen by this point and was being watched closely.

"Ok," she agreed. "Just give me one moment."

Dan watched Blair walk up the stairs until she stood over Penelope. She opened the yoghurt that had been what she would have eaten and poured it all over Penelope's head. Dan burst out laughing as Blair walked back down the steps and took his arm, ignoring the screams of horror behind her.

"That'll teach her some manners," she announced happily.

Dan took her to a local café and they had cream cheese bagels. Dan was pleased to see Blair eating healthily, and when she went to the bathroom, she was back within a minute. They passed the Met steps on their way back to school and saw Penelope had vanished. The other girls stood there like lost puppies and rushed to Blair the moment they saw her, falling into step behind her and Dan. It seemed her stunt had secured her place as Queen.

Dan was pleased. Of course he thought the whole thing was incredibly shallow, but the last thing Blair needed right now was another blow to her confidence. They walked into school as if they were actual royalty, and Dan spotted Nate watching with confusion. Promising to meet her after school, Dan slipped away yet again, handing Blair over to Nate. But the more he thought about it, the more he disliked Nate and his whole attitude to Blair. She deserved so much better. Of course, she couldn't see that.

As it turns out, the place Dan is finally able to do some research is in the waiting room just next door to where Blair is having her appointment. The bookshelves are filled with books on various disorders and it takes Dan less than ten minutes to locate all which are bulimia-related. He curled up in one of the chairs and read as feverishly as he could in the time allotted. There was a lot of information described in very long words and occasionally, Dan was completely lost. When Blair came out of the room, looking both happy and sad all at once, Dan was sure he knew even less than he had when they first arrived.

"Doctor Sherman thinks I should start having weekly appointments again," Blair told him. She sat beside him, looking thoughtful and morose, evidently unwilling to leave just yet. "I thought I was past all that."

Dan wanted to put an arm around her, but the receptionist was watching them closely and he didn't feel quite comfortable enough. "Maybe it's a good thing. While your parents are ... going through all of this. Having someone to talk to must be a relief."

Blair's head snapped round. "I've got you, haven't I?" she demanded, frightened.

Dan chuckled and forgot about the receptionist. He cuddled Blair close. "Of course you have. That doesn't mean this isn't a good idea though," he added, and Blair nodded.

"Yes, I suppose so. You'll come with me, won't you?"

"Of course," Dan replied. "Come on. Let's go." He replaced the books and took note of his place, resolved to continue next week, and they left the building. "What do you want to do to cheer you up a bit?" asked Dan. He'd caught sight of the look on Blair's face at the prospect of returning home and was offering her an alternative.

She leapt upon it eagerly. However, when Dan put his foot down and refused to go shopping, they compromised and headed for the movies. After deciding upon one of Blair's favourite black and whites _Charade_, they entered the theatre. Blair walked straight to the back, something which made Dan raise his eyebrows, and began to examine the seats under the light of her phone.

"What are you doing?" Dan demanded.

"Checking for stains."

Dan stared at her. "What?"

Blair shot a knowing look over her shoulder. "I associate with people like Serena Van Der Woodsen and Chuck Bass. Trust me; you don't want to be sitting on someone else's happy time."

Dan spluttered with laughter and disgust. The pedestal upon which Serena had been firmly ensconced at the beginning of the year received yet another blow.

Blair finally sat down and gestured to Dan to sit to her right. He obeyed, still unsure of how to react to her odd behaviour, but was spared further analysis by the movie's beginning. As they munched on popcorn and gazed at the black and white romantic drama unfolding on screen, they were acutely aware of the bridge they were still building between rich and poor. The dark was once again their friend and Blair felt no embarrassment when she sank lower in her seat and rested her head against Dan's shoulder. He kissed the top of her head gently, and the moment was stretching, tender and calm, until the couple sitting a few rows in front of them began to make out.

They quickly became more passionate and soon Dan and Blair were watching them more than the movie, struggling to contain their laughter. It was Blair's idea to throw popcorn at them. She grabbed Dan's lapel and dragged him down onto the floor, out of sight as the affronted couple looked round for the offenders.

"What the hell are you doing?" whispered Dan, smiling all the same.

"Oh come on, it's fun! Besides, we're saving their seats from being soiled."

Dan clapped a hand over his mouth to prevent the laughter exploding from inside him. Blair offered him the bucket of popcorn, a glint in her eye, and Dan knew there was no alternative.

It became a stealth campaign, creeping around the cinema, avoiding the ushers, and hitting anyone showing too close an interest in their partner with a handful of buttered popcorn. When the third person complained, Dan realised they were about to be discovered. It was Blair who came up with the solution. Abandoning the popcorn, she took a handful and sprinkled it over themselves as they returned to their seats. As the ushers searched the theatre, they took one glance at Dan and Blair brushing popcorn off their shoulders with angry expressions and considered them another of the couples hit.

They practically ran from the cinema as soon as the credits rolled, helpless with laughter. Blair was slightly hysterical in her glee, but Dan thought it best that she let it run free. Laughter was scientifically proven to make you feel better and lifting Blair's mood was an intrinsic part of his new role.

They ambled back towards Blair's penthouse, lost in their own little world and ignoring everyone around them as though their existence were a lie. That changed the moment they arrived at Blair's building. Instantly, her light-hearted expression grew heavy and dark.

"Do you want me to come with you?" offered Dan. "See how the land lies?"

Blair contemplated, and then nodded. "Yes, please."

Dan nodded, but caught her elbow before she could enter. "Wait, you still have popcorn in your hair," he chuckled.

Blair couldn't help smiling as he painstakingly removed it and smoothed the locks back into place. They then hurried indoors and into the elevator. As they rose higher, the tension mounted. Dan wondered if he should make a joke to decrease it, but too late, they had arrived.

Stepping out into the Waldorf penthouse, Dan was silenced. Marble floors and sweeping staircases were something he'd only imagined when he described yesteryears castles. To see them now and know that Blair Waldorf's feet had run across it all since she was a child made him feel impossibly humble.

"Blair!" exclaimed Harold, rushing towards his daughter. Blair tried to escape his embrace. Gathered in the hallway were a collection of suitcases.

"You're really leaving," Blair mumbled, and Harold's forced smile grew limp.

"Yes," he said gently. "I am."

Blair stood there for a moment, devastated, and then she ran past him and up the stairs, past her mother who was descending.

"Blair!" Eleanor called after her, to no avail. After a few seconds, the sound of a door slamming reverberated through the air. Eleanor and Harold both sighed deeply, avoiding each other's eyes. Dan shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

"Well, I suppose I should go," he said, hoping to simply slip away, but he had unintentionally captured their attention.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Eleanor demanded, coming close, skirting around the suitcases and Harold himself as though they gave of a bad smell.

"Uh, my name's Dan Humphrey. I'm a friend of –"

"So you are the boy who took my daughter in last night."

Eleanor continued to advance, quite intimidating, and Dan resisted the urge to take a step back. She stopped a foot from him, examining him closely. "Thank you," she said sincerely, and patted his shoulder almost kindly.

"That's my pleasure, Mrs Waldorf," Dan stammered. "I was happy to be there for her."

"How was she?" asked Harold. The guilt in his voice was almost heartbreaking, but Dan felt little sympathy for him. He was the one at fault here. It was Harold who was leaving, destroying Blair's world in the process.

"Distraught," Dan replied, his voice harder than he intended it to be. He hesitated, wondering whether to correct himself ... and then he wondered whether he should tell them about the return of Blair's condition. He balked at the thought. Once again, this was Blair's secret and since she had agreed to see the doctor and Dan himself would be escorting her, sure that she'd gone, then it wasn't his place to say anything. If she'd refused to get help, that would have been a different matter of course.

"Maybe I should go," he said quietly, avoiding Harold's gaze.

"Yes well, it was nice to finally meet you," said Eleanor.

Finally. The word made Dan smile at her. He headed back to the elevator, but Harold ran up just as the doors were closing.

"You will take care of her, won't you?" he asked, and Dan felt his resolve both soften and harden. Harold's devotion to Blair was touching, but it was a father's job to protect his daughter, not Dan's. Of course, that wouldn't change anything. Dan would have looked after Blair with or without Harold in the picture. He wondered briefly where Harold was going.

"Yes I will sir," he replied, slightly more kindly and the elevator carried him back down to the street.

By the time Dan got home, it was quite late and his parents were both worried. Jenny was merely disappointed that he didn't have Blair with him.

"Was she ok?" asked Alison gently, her maternal instincts running on full power.

"No," said Dan sadly. He fell onto the couch and slid sideways tiredly.

"Well, I think you're being very good to her. A good friend," complimented Rufus, patting his son's shoulder.

"Being a good friend is exhausting," Dan complained, suddenly aware of how tired he was. His entire body was aching slightly. He hadn't noticed earlier on while all of his attention was devoted to Blair.

He went to bed even earlier than Jenny, fully intending to fall asleep the moment his head touched the pillow, but of course he was awoken what felt like only a moment later by his ringing phone. He answered without bothering to check the screen.

"Hello?" he said hoarsely.

"You were asleep," said Blair. She sounded slightly mournful. "I'm sorry."

"Of course I wasn't asleep," Dan bluffed, his eyes sliding shut even as he spoke. A thought occurred to him. How had she even got his number? "I just sound manlier over the phone."

Blair laughed. "Yeah, right."

There was a small silence, broken only by a small sniffle. Dan half-sat up, worrying if she was going to say that she was on her way here and whether he had time to warn his parents.

"He's really leaving," Blair mumbled. She sounded so small that it made Dan's stomach ache with sorrow and sympathy.

"Yeah, I know," said Dan gently.

"I guess it only just hit me," Blair murmured. "That Daddy doesn't live here anymore."

"It'll be ok, Blair. I promise," said Dan sincerely, hoping it was a promise he could keep. She deserved at least one man in her life who keep his word.

"I believe you," Blair replied quietly. Dan smiled.

"Call me if ... call me," he said firmly, and knew without seeing that she was nodding.

"I will. Goodnight Dan."

"Sweet dreams Blair."

**NB** Yes, I did steal the yoghurt idea from Little J's stint at queen, but it was too good to pass up lol. The first Dan/Blair Gossip Girl blast is coming up, and more of Blair's bulimia, you've been warned! The popcorn-movie incident is something me and my friends have been doing for years and I really thought it was perfect for the pair of them. =]


	7. Six

**Six**

Dan was woken by a weight descending upon his feet. He squinted against the sunshine and saw Jenny looking at him through narrowed eyes.

"What?" he groaned, pushing his head under his pillow, refusing to be awake quite yet. Blair's late night phone call had made him worry which kept him awake for longer than he would have liked and he was set to be as grumpy as possible in complaint.

"Are you dating Blair Waldorf?"

Dan didn't even bother to lift the pillow off his head. Jenny didn't recognise that he thought very little of the question and thought he was embarrassed.

"Well, if you wanted it to be a secret, you didn't go about it the right way! It's all over Gossip Girl."

Dan let out a heavy groan and sat up. "Show me," he mumbled, resigned to his fate. Jenny handed him her laptop, ready and waiting. Squinting, Dan made out a photograph of himself outside Blair's building. It looked like an intimate moment. Dan snorted. He'd been picking popcorn out of her hair.

However, it was the tagline that made him hesitate. Something Blair had said publicly a while ago about only allowing her boyfriend to touch her hair had been used to confirm the picture's implication. Dan paused for a heartbeat and then handed the laptop back to Jenny.

"Well?" she demanded, obviously keen to be on the ground floor of the scandal. Excitement danced in her eyes.

"Don't believe everything you read online, Jen," Dan told her, replacing his head under the pillow. "Especially if it's claiming to be a fourteen year old boy who says you two have a special connection!" he added, and closed his eyes.

Recognising that Dan felt nothing but derision and amusement for the blast, Jenny left the room, disappointed. Being the little sister of Blair Waldorf's boyfriend would have been a fantastic social position to be in when she started at Constance in the fall. Of course, that was a long way away, she consoled herself. Plenty of time for Dan and Blair to become an item, and the last thing she wanted was for them to have become a couple and broken up before she arrived at Constance!

Dan growled angrily when his phone rang. He considered ignoring it, but when he realised it was probably Blair, decided that would be a very bad idea.

"Hello."

"Oh, you don't sound happy," said Blair, whose own voice was all sweetness and light. It was so sharp a contrast to her attitude last night that Dan was momentarily wrong-footed.

"Jenny woke me up to show me Gossip Girl ten minutes before my alarm," Dan complained. "I'm definitely not happy."

Blair laughed. "It was a good picture," she argued. "Take some solace in that."

Dan didn't laugh.

"Anyway, I'll meet you at school. I need your help."

"With what?" asked Dan. He was glad that Blair wasn't going to shun him, although the possibility hadn't really crossed his mind. He was surprisingly secure in their sudden friendship.

"What else? I'm throwing a party!"

Blair hung up before Dan could question it. He didn't even attempt to understand Blair's logic, merely put his head back under the pillow, hoping for a few more –

And then the alarm went off.

So Dan Humphrey reached school in a dark mood. His invisibility was officially gone: he'd never been noticed so often in his life! The points, stares and whispered remarks were beginning to bug him and he was seriously considering filing a lawsuit against Gossip Girl just to discover their identity so that he could personally murder them –

"Morning," greeted Blair happily, offering him a cup of coffee. "Here you go. It sounded like you needed it earlier."

Dan's bad mood dissipated quite quickly. Blair didn't mention the party, but joked about the blast and made a defiant show of talking to him. Dan was pleasantly surprised to find the coffee was exactly how he liked it, and touched that Blair had noticed – although how she had, he had no idea. It was another of those mysteries about her he would never crack, no matter what.

With the coffee in his veins, he was much more able to ignore the extra attention. He went to class and did his work and thought his life to be quite boring: it wouldn't take long for everyone else to remember that.

Of course, he forgot that as Blair Waldorf's best friend, he was expected to have lunch with her in full view of the staring public. He arrived at the Met steps to see Penelope attempting to regain control by using the blast against Blair. The realisation that he may cost Blair her throne made Dan hesitate. The moment she saw him, however, she waved happily.

"Dan! Come on, I need your help with my party!"

And just like that, Blair was in control again. Dan remembered her words about an exclusive party and knew exactly why she'd decided to throw one. Devious, smart and manipulative, exactly how Blair was. With everyone except him. He joined her, ignoring Penelope quite as obviously as she ignored him, and was required to have very little input about the party. The other girls gushed over Blair, angling for invites and eager to help her choose a theme or colour scheme or something similar. Dan wasn't really listening. It sounded more like a Jenny conversation.

In fact, Dan didn't seem to have to do much over the next few days. Blair threw herself into the party organisations with great enthusiasm, and Dan realised that in keeping herself busy, she kept her mind off the tragedies unfolding at home. However, that didn't mean that he could simply fade away. Blair demanded his presence continually throughout the school day and often phoned him to go over plans he knew nothing about. Dan let her, recognising that even if she didn't want his opinion, she wanted his time and companionship. Keeping busy only went so far, after all. He found himself being dragged on shopping trips again as Blair hunted for the correct outfit. This party being perfect was of the utmost importance, so Dan didn't make a murmur of protest.

Now and then they flitted in and out of the penthouse. Eleanor was never there. Harold was never mentioned. It seemed the only parent Blair had right now was Dorota, who had taken to Dan like a duck to water. Between them, they cared for Blair to the best of their abilities.

Rufus and Alison quickly adjusted to the fact that Dan was never home on time for dinner but were anxious at the sound of the party. Of course, that didn't change, even after several displays of Jenny's jealousy and Blair calling to formerly ask permission for Dan to attend.

Dan, of course, never had a choice. His presence was simply expected.

In fact, he wasn't even allowed to pick out his own clothes. Blair took him shopping on Thursday afternoon and made several not-so-subtle hints about how he should throw out most of his clothes and allow her to replace them. Dan ignored them but allowed her to buy him a charcoal-grey suit that she went mad over and he decided wasn't too bad.

He hid it out of sight with the shirt Blair had bought him.

It was on Friday that the act fell apart, albeit temporarily. Dan turned up at the penthouse to find it cold and quiet. Unable to locate Dorota, Dan hesitantly ascended the steps. He hadn't ever been in Blair's bedroom, and once he'd found it, felt as though he were entering a sacred location. The room was so typically Blair that it made him smile. But not the Blair everyone else knew: his Blair.

He found her in the bathroom, her chin resting on her knees, gazing into space. Dan quietly sat down beside her, glancing at the toilet as he did so.

"Hi," he whispered, not wanting to disturb the peace.

Blair turned to look at him. Her eyes were puffy and raw, the only indication that she'd spent the past hour crying. She attempted a smile.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, and Dan put his arm around her, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"Don't be," he replied. "It's ok."

"Daddy's moving to France," Blair whimpered. Her whole body shuddered with pain. "With ... Roman," she forced out through gritted teeth. "He thinks that would be ... be best ..."

Dan pulled her into his lap as he had during the night at his loft and embraced her. The floor was cold and hard, and the wall behind him was uncomfortable to lean upon, but it didn't matter. He remembered what he could of Harold and felt angry once again. It was unfair that his own father was so wonderful when Harold could treat Blair with such contempt.

"God, I hate him!" Blair hissed suddenly. "How dare he take my father away from me!"

Realising she was talking about Roman, Dan nodded his agreement.

"Absolutely. The man has no morals!"

"He's not a man. Not a real man. Not like you," Blair said, and didn't realise what a compliment she'd paid to Dan. Slightly intoxicated by it, Dan made it into a joke, as always.

"Yes, you can rest assured that I would never sleep with your father."

Blair choked on her tears and laughter. Dan wiped her face gently and managed to stand, carrying her out of the bathroom.

"Come on, Blair Waldorf," he ordered gently. "We are going to order a pizza and watch terrible television. I'll even let you talk to me about the party."

Blair giggled, nestled against his chest. "Can we go shopping tomorrow? I saw a pair of Gucci loafers that would look amazing with your suit."

Dan hesitated and deposited Blair on her bed. He sat opposite her. "Blair, please don't think me ungrateful, but you've got to stop buying me all of this stuff." Blair frowned at him.

"Don't you want it?" she asked.

Dan shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I don't need it ... and I can't pay you back for it."

Blair laughed. "I don't expect you to!"

"But I expect me to," Dan interrupted. He met Blair's gaze firmly. She reached across her duvet and took both his hands in her own.

"I owe you," said Blair. "You've done so much for me and I want to pay you back. This is how I pay you back."

"Pay me back for what?" asked a confused Dan.

"For caring about me."

Dan stifled the urge to laugh hysterically, sensing that it would not be the most appropriate response to give. Was Blair's self-esteem really that low that she believed everyone wanted to be around her solely because of what she could give them in return?

"Blair, you don't have to pay me back for caring about you. I don't expect – or want – anything in return except your friendship."

Blair looked bewildered. "But this is part of what being friends with me entails! Me buying you things!"

"Blair, I'm not your friend because of what you can buy for me. Ok?" Dan tried to speak as confidently as he could to emphasise his point. "I'm your friend because ..." he struggled for a reason. There wasn't one, grandiose, superior motive for this friendship. There were thousands of tiny, insignificant ones that were even more important than anything else.

He sighed, resolved to saying them all out loud. "I'm friends with you because of how much you care about what people think about you. I'm friends with you because you still own your Cabbage Patch Kid. I'm friends with you because behind your holier-than-thou act is in an inferiority complex. I'm friends with you because you can sleep in Brooklyn or the Upper East Side and still wake up looking like a Princess."

Blair's eyes were glistening with tears, and Dan decided he'd listed enough reasons. He didn't want to turn into a cliche.

"Look, I could go on about that for a long time, I really could, because I think you're incredible. You basically steamrollered through my life and changed everything in less than five minutes and I'm so glad you did. You already gave me the best gift ever, Blair. You gave me you." he wiped away a couple of her tears. "So stop thinking that you have to compensate with presents. You're perfect just the way you are."

"I don't feel it," she whispered in reply.

"Well, then I will just have to make sure that you do," said Dan. He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back. His smile was infectious.

"I'm still buying you the loafers," she told him, and Dan laughed.

"There's another reason. You're stubborn," he teased before growing serious. "You don't have to, Blair. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know," she replied, surprised that she truly did. "But I can't dance with you if you're not wearing the correct shoes."

Dan burst out laughing and climbed off the bed. "Right, I am going to order a pizza and you are going to call Doctor Sherman. Agreed?"

"Agreed," replied Blair. They exchanged smiles and Dan left the room. Blair's smile stayed firmly in place as she reached for the phone. She genuinely believed she could be better, as long as Dan stayed a part of her life. And knowing that he wasn't leaving anytime soon made her feel nothing short of giddy excitement.

**NB** - So, a Blair Waldorf soiree, and the inevitable Nate-Dan confrontation in the next chapter. I'm very excited for the next season of Gossip Girl, even if it's months away, because it really looks like they're going to go for Dair. I wasn't surprised by the way this season ended. They had to deal with the Chuck/Blair drama still swirling around, and I have to admit I am also a Chair fan so very much enjoyed the angsty letting-you-go scenes. That's the Chair I can get on board with, but next season it has to be all about Dair =] Anyway, back to the chapter, I hope you guys liked it! Reviews are gold =]


	8. Seven

**Seven**

Blair's party was a huge success, of course. As if there was any other possibility.

Although, Dan thought, Blair took the whole hostess thing far too seriously. She'd spent the first hour flitting around the not-small room, greeting, welcoming, praising those in attendance. It was one of the best events of the year with great ease. No matter what anyone said about her, no one could deny that Blair Waldorf knew how to throw a party.

And she looked spectacular. Her dress was an Eleanor Waldorf original, tailored to fit perfectly, and every detail of her appearance had been deliberated over for hours. However, Dan knew that wasn't what was making her look so wonderful: she was happy. In her element, the centre of attention, and Blair looked as though she was made for it. Yet there was something else: an underlying tone that spoke of simple, pure joy. Dan liked to think it had a little something to do with him.

That didn't mean he was happy to be there. Dan had been dreading the party, remembering the only other Upper East Side party he'd been invited to. It had been a humiliating, lonely experience. However, his fears that he would once again be the wallflower spoken to by only one girl appeared unfounded. For some reason, everyone at the party was taking the time to talk to him.

Boys from St Jude's who had ignored him for the past year and a half now asked his opinion on classes, teachers, and girls. Dan accepted this as simply another part of being friends with Blair Waldorf, and he wasn't going to object to meeting a few more people. A handful of them seemed quite decent and not a part of the Upper East Side snobbery that Dan so reviled, but was nevertheless learning to live with.

Of course, there were a couple who continued to ignore him, but what did that matter? He wasn't particularly fond of Chuck Bass anyway. In Dan's opinion, he encapsulated the worst of the Upper East Side. Also ignoring him was Nate, something else that Dan was perfectly ok with. Nate was a person he very rarely thought of; rather surprising considering his girlfriend was Dan's best friend.

Knowing what a hard time Blair was going through, Dan was especially confused by Nate. If he had a girlfriend going through all of this, Dan would be glued to her side in his attempts to support her, but he truthfully couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Nate and Blair together, and this party was no exception. Dan and Blair had arrived together early so that Blair could inspect everything. He had simply followed her around mocking her choices until everyone had arrived, and even when Nate showed up – late – he couldn't remember Blair and Nate's greeting. Not that Dan had been stuck to Blair's hip all evening, but he had been constantly aware of her location, just in case.

Dan was fast coming to the conclusion that Nate didn't care about Blair or what she was going through and felt growing contempt for him. If Nate didn't want Blair, fine. He was crazy, but fine. Let her go so that someone worthy could fight for her. As it was, Nate kept her trapped in limbo and Dan hated it.

Of course, Dan would never voice these thoughts. He wasn't suicidal! But the moment Nate did anything to upset Blair, he would be there to point out these faults and hope that Blair saw sense. Nate Archibald was not the Prince Charming she painted him to be.

Blair breezed up to him. It was the first time he'd seen her stand still all night. She snatched his drink – some of the fruit punch – and sipped it.

"Thanks, I'm so thirsty!" she then hesitated. "There's no alcohol in this, Dan."

"Of course not. I'm sixteen," Dan pointed out, and Blair stared at him quite openly. "What?"

Blair shook her head, smiling. "You're just so ... innocent." She laughed. "That's rare nowadays." She handed him the drink. "Don't touch the punch again. Chuck's been there since you."

Dan grimaced. "Thanks for the warning. How's the party going?"

Blair shrugged. "It's adequate."

"What? This party is amazing!" said Dan, forcing a little more enthusiasm into his voice than necessary. Blair rolled her eyes at him but smiled.

"I know." They laughed together. "And I noticed you've been doing a bit of socialising. Will wonders never cease?" she joked.

Dan flushed slightly. "Well, I think it's this outfit. No one recognises me. When they find out I'm from Brooklyn, I'm sure they'll go back to pretending I'm invisible," he replied, glancing down. The suit and shirt Blair had bought him went perfectly with the shoes she'd bought and tie she presented him with earlier that day. It matched her dress.

"They will do no such thing," said Blair firmly. "As long as you're my best friend, you are here to stay."

Dan narrowed his eyes. "So that's all I have to do to get out of here?" he laughed, nudging Blair when she only smiled. "It's a good thing being your friend is worth braving the horrors of the Upper East Side then, isn't it?"

She nodded. "A very good thing," she agreed and made to move off. "Save me a dance later," she ordered, and he nodded.

"Of course."

That was something else he'd been dreading. Dan Humphrey didn't dance. Well, he did, of course he did. Everyone can dance. Dan, however, could not dance _well_ and didn't want to humiliate himself by stepping anywhere near that floor. However, he'd already learnt it was impossible to say no to Blair. He was fast becoming of the opinion that he shouldn't even bother trying anymore.

His phone began to ring and Dan answered it, pressing one finger into his other ear to try and block out the noise.

"Hello?"

"What's it like?" demanded Jenny.

Her desire to go to the party had been frightening in its intensity. She had badgered Dan to get her an invite and cried when Alison and Rufus told her that invite or no invite, she wasn't going. Dan was glad they had. This was definitely not the environment he wanted his little sister to be in. Drink, drugs, sex, various other illegal activities were everywhere. He looked upon them with disdain, but Jenny was vulnerable and impressionable. And desperate for a way in.

Plus, Dan didn't have enough brain power to watch both Jenny and Blair to ensure that no harm came to either of them. He felt a lot happier knowing that Jenny was safe at home, leaving him free to observe Blair closely.

He hadn't expected her to get over the return of her bulimia immediately, but he had hoped there would be no further instances. Of course, he'd been naive and wrong. He wouldn't make that mistake again. Building up her self-esteem would take time, and while he was doing that, Dan resolved to watch Blair with the eyes of a hawk to ensure that if she were about to slip, he was there to steady her.

"Dan!" summoned Jenny. "Answer me! Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. It's a party, you know. With people. And dancing." Dan could almost hear Jenny's frustration, and it made him chuckle.

"Dan! Come on, tell me the truth!"

Dan sighed, looking around. However, before he could respond, the phone had been snatched from his ear and Blair was smiling at him reassuringly.

"Hi Jenny," she said, and then proceeded to smoothly speak over Jenny's excitement. "I'm sorry but Dan is quite busy at the moment. And there will come a time when you will experience a Blair Waldorf soiree – but I'm afraid you will have to wait until you're at least a freshman. Don't be in such a hurry to grow up, little Jenny Humphrey. Enjoy your childhood. I did."

Blair turned the phone off and slipped it back into Dan's pocket.

"You're welcome," she added to him before walking away.

Dan considered calling Jenny back, but knew he'd either have her crying about being treated like a baby, or questioned about Blair Waldorf's childhood. Neither seemed like a phone call he wanted to make, so he ambled over to the drinks table. The punch smelt deadly, so Dan skipped it and picked up a beer instead. Blair thought he was innocent, did she? Well, he was, but not to the extent that he would turn down free beer.

Two conversations about lacrosse later, and Dan needed another beer. Sport was yet another aspect of life he'd never truly understood, and he sincerely hoped he never did.

"Hey Brooklyn," called Blair. She grinned at him as she approached. "You promised me a dance."

Dan glanced at the dance floor painfully but followed Blair onto it. At least it was a slow song. Blair looked comfortable, had probably had countless dancing lessons. Dan was clumsy and ungainly, however she soon took him under her wing. His hands were positioned correctly but he had no idea what she meant about 'frame'.

"We'll watch _Dirty Dancing_," sighed Blair, giving up, and Dan shrugged.

"Another Hepburn?"

"Oh Dan, I have so much to teach you," she told him, and Dan laughed. There was something slightly ominous about that sentence but Dan chose not to think about that too much. "How are you enjoying your first Upper East Side party?" Blair asked curiously, and Dan shrugged.

"Well, it's been ok."

Blair looked affronted. "Only ok?"

"Well, it got a lot better when a beautiful girl asked me to dance," said Dan, and Blair puffed up happily.

"Much better," she told him, and he felt pleased. He knew how to handle Blair Waldorf. If they let you into college based on life experience, he was sure that would get him a full scholarship to Dartmouth!

They moved almost elegantly around the dance floor and Dan stopped worrying as Blair continued to laugh at his jokes. It felt exactly the same as the afternoon they spent in the movie theatre throwing popcorn at strangers. The whole world faded away, just for a little while, and they simply enjoyed each other's company. Neither gave Gossip Girl a second thought. If people wanted to send in photographs of them dancing, who cared? Weren't people bored of their friendship by now?

Blair pulled away regretfully. "I should mingle," she said and walked off. Dan watched her go and then struggled out of the middle of the dance floor. He stumbled and bumped straight into Nate Archibald.

"Oh." Dan paused, realising he and Nate had never been formally introduced. "Hi."

Nate glared at him, and Dan was surprised by the reaction, seeing as how they'd never once spoken before.

"Are you in love with Blair?" asked Nate bluntly, and Dan was shocked. Laughter burst irrepressibly from his lips.

"What? You're kidding, right?" when Nate didn't laugh with him, Dan realised Nate was deadly serious. He tried to compose himself. "No, of course I'm not. We're just friends."

"Just friends?" Nate repeated mockingly. "Have you two even spent a minute apart this week?" he demanded.

Dan raised an eyebrow. "We're apart right now," he pointed out, speaking slowly as though Nate were a small child who still didn't fully understand the words.

Nate's eyes burned with rage. "Your tie matches her dress!" he exclaimed, slapping the offending article not exactly gently. Dan forced himself to stay still. A step back would be a defeat, but a step forward would increase the confrontation.

"So what? She gave it to me. Maybe she picked it out for you only you didn't bother to show up to see her at all since her Dad left," Dan shot back. "My relationship with my girlfriend is none of your business!" growled Nate, and Dan suddenly became aware of a few people turning to watch them. Blair hated scenes. This party had to be perfect.

"You're right," he agreed bitterly and walked away deliberately. He expected Nate to follow and was not disappointed, but now the confrontation was away from prying eyes, in the coat room.

"Then what are you doing here?" asked Nate furiously. "Trying to get a slice of the good life by moving in on Blair while she's emotional?"

"How would you know that she's emotional?" asked Dan, just as angry. He advanced on Nate, throwing caution to the wind. "You haven't been to see her once, and don't say it's because I'm always there because I'm not! And when I am there, I never see you anywhere near her! She's your girlfriend! You're supposed to take care of her! And if you won't –"

"What? Then you will?" Nate and Dan were millimetres apart, ready to come to blows.

"Yes. I will."

The silence was heavy with tension.

"She's _my_ girlfriend," said Nate slowly, biting out each word. "I am telling you to back off."

Dan chuckled humourlessly. The threat was pathetic. "You know what, Archibald? I'll back off when you step up!"

He walked back to the party, ignoring that Chuck Bass immediately walked into the coat room. The party had instantly lost its minimal appeal. He searched out Blair and told her he was leaving.

"What? No! Stay!" she urged, but Dan had a bad taste in his mouth that he knew would linger even longer if he remained. "I thought everything was perfect," said Blair, her eyes wide and filled with hurt.

So Dan explained quickly and stringently what had happened. Blair looked instantly torn and Dan smiled at her kindly.

"Go and spend some time with your boyfriend. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, you will," Blair replied firmly. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek tenderly. "Thank you."

Dan smiled at her and walked out of the building. As he did so, a man stepped out of one of the town cars there.

"Mr. Humphrey? Miss Waldorf called down and said we should take you to wherever you need to go."

Dan rolled his eyes, seriously considered hailing a cab, and then climbed into the car. It had been a long night, and he'd learnt by now that being stubborn with Blair Waldorf achieved nothing.

**NB** - Don't worry, I'm definitely not done with the Nate-Dan confrontation angle. There'll be quite a bit more of that in the next chapter, plus Blair has some plans for the summer. Do you guys like this one? Of course, I had to write a Blair-Waldorf-soiree lol. Reviews are gold!


	9. Eight

**Eight**

How Nate and Blair were getting on was a taboo subject. Dan didn't want to hear about it, so Blair never mentioned it. She never mentioned Dan to Nate either. It was a complicated situation. She was hardly going to break up with her boyfriend for a boy from Brooklyn, but she had also made it pointedly clear that she was not going to relinquish Dan for anything.

The party was now firmly in the past and Blair was the for-the-moment-undisputed Queen, but even she was worried about Dan and Nate. Her two leading men hated each other. It was an uncomfortable situation and she hated having to find the balance. On the one hand, Nate was her boyfriend and automatically the most important person in her world. But then there was Dan and without him, Blair wasn't sure if she'd even still be alive. He was more important than anyone really. Possibly more important than Nate?

She shook herself from her musings. In truth, it wasn't as bad as it sounded. Nate was the same as ever, distant and remote. Dan was the one sitting beside her every lunch, studying with her in the library, watching her favourite old movies and accompanying her to her appointments with Doctor Sherman.

She didn't really need to see him anymore. With Dan's support, she hadn't purged since he found her in her bathroom, and her confidence was being built up day by day. Whenever Nate wasn't destroying it with his careless, haphazard lack of affection. Blair knew some people were questioning her. She'd even heard Kati and Iz talking about when Blair would realise Dan was far better for her than Nate.

But talk was just talk. Blair took no notice of it. To be Queen was to be above the gossip. She wasn't the subject of it but the owner.

Actually, Blair found the whole thing very tiring. The more time she spent in the company of Dan and his wholesome, honest family, the more she saw the facade the Upper East Side truly was. Little glimpses every now and then. Sometimes, she understood why Dan hated her world, and she loved him all the more for braving it for her. The same could not be said of Nate, but Blair made the decision not to think about it. There. It no longer existed.

Dan admired the way Blair was keeping them both separate yet very much a part of her life. It was admirable in a way. She was stubbornly clinging to them both, but Dan knew that eventually one of them would have to give way. He dreaded that day. It might be him.

But the uneasy truce stretched and continued to last as the winter chill faded. Dan found that he and Blair still spent pretty much all of their spare time together. Now that the days were warmer, they began to venture outside a lot more rather than constantly sitting in front of a fire wrapped in blankets watching black and white classics. As a result, more and more photographs were winding up on Gossip Girl. Blair ignored them. Dan followed her example.

"You'd think they'd have found something new to blast about," Dan commented as he and Blair strolled through Central Park carrying a loaf of bread, on their way to feed the ducks, having been informed by Gossip Girl that they'd been spotted. Of course.

Blair laughed at his naivety. "Oh Dan, don't you get it? I'm the Queen of Constance! What I do is ten times more fascinating than anything anybody else does." She linked arms with him and looked up at the pale blue sky. Spring was here, after a long and desperate winter. She then looked at Dan and saw the same shade as the sky reflected in his eyes. It made her smile at him joyously.

"I love spring. I love the daffodils and the ducks and the new grass," she gushed.

Dan chuckled and listened to her indulgently as she listed every little perfect thing about this season and why it was particularly wonderful to enjoy it in New York. He liked to see Blair so carefree. Although Blair had accepted her father's departure, she continued to miss him in a brutally painful way, and her relationship with her mother had suffered accordingly. Struggling to come to terms with the loss of her husband, Eleanor had become as remote as Nate. Sealed off from the pain of a second rejection. And yet, there was a need in her eyes whenever she looked at Blair that had caught Dan's attention. Even though she didn't show it, Eleanor was hanging on by a thread, and that thread was Blair.

So keeping Blair happy kept her mother sane, and that kept Blair's life somewhat stable. Dan was happy to step up to the task, even if it included such juvenile activities as feeding the ducks. He had no doubt they were being constantly photographed, but ignored the sensation and let Blair have her fun.

"How are things at home?" Blair asked suddenly in a gentle voice.

Dan sighed. Taking care of Blair had provided a wonderful distraction from the marital discord now bleeding through into Dan and Jenny's lives on an increasingly regular basis. Whatever the problem was between Alison and Rufus, Dan was furious with them both. Jenny was taking it all very badly, sitting in silence and watching the drama unfold with eyes being stripped of their innocence. She looked increasingly lost, and it made Dan see red as he had when it were Blair.

"The same," he replied, looking disgusted. "I hate what they're doing, you know? They're not even fighting anymore! It's this awkward silence most of the time. I know Dad's slept on the couch a couple of times and ..." Dan trailed off, chewing on his lower lip.

For some reason he could never communicate effectively, he blamed Alison. She was the one who suddenly seemed unhappy with Rufus. It had begun with criticisms which turned into arguments that Dan had finally ordered his parents to stop having in front of him and Jenny. The shame on Alison's face had been something different to Rufus's. It was a look Dan could swear he'd seen on Nate's face; as though they'd only just remembered the other people in their lives. There was something selfish about the whole thing that Dan couldn't figure out, so he'd stopped trying and merely taken himself out of the equation as much as possible.

He felt guilty when he thought of Jenny. He hated leaving her in the loft with his warring parents, but he couldn't take her with him every single time. Blair was the one outlet he had with whom he could discuss the problems at home, and he would never feel comfortable doing that in front of Jenny. It was akin almost to a betrayal of the parents he was fast loosing respect for.

Blair smiled at him sympathetically, able to relate to some of his emotions, which was better than nothing.

"I have something I think might cheer you up," she told him brightly. "My Mother's going away at the beginning of the summer."

Dan raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that really has brightened my day," he replied sarcastically. Blair rolled her eyes.

"I'm inviting you to come to the Hamptons with me for a few weeks, idiot," she told him, slapping his shoulder affectionately with the remainder of the bread.

Dan's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Well, I could go on my own," said Blair, hurt, believing he was horrified, "but I might not survive a couple of weeks away without you around to make me laugh at myself. And I know you hate Upper East Siders, but you do kind of enjoy surprising them and this would really surprise them!"

She was begging Dan with every word she spoke. Begging him not to make her go alone. He hesitated.

"Blair, I can't leave Jenny behind," he said mournfully. "Not with the way things are between my parents –"

"So bring her with you!" Blair exclaimed. "There are plenty of things for her to do in the Hamptons!"

Dan was stunned. "Seriously?"

"Of course," said Blair, approaching him and smiling. "I'll agree to whatever it takes to get you out there. And it's not like it'll be the whole summer! Just for a few weeks, and then we'll all come back to New York. Obviously, I would normally spend the whole summer out there, but I doubt your family would let you spend that long away, and wherever you go, I suppose I shall have to follow if I want to enjoy my summer."

She beamed at him, still under the impression she had to coerce him.

"Yes, of course I'll come!" Dan exclaimed, hugging Blair so hard that he lifted her off the ground. She laughed and kicked her heels up almost romantically. Dan imagined a few weeks away from the city: away from the tension at home and the animosity from Nate. A few weeks to relax, safe in the knowledge that both his sister and his best friend were happy. It sounded perfect to him!

When he put Blair down, neither could stop smiling. Despite it still being a fair way away, Blair began to excitedly plan what they would do when they arrived. She frequently mentioned the beach, and Dan could envision just how many notebooks he was going to fill up with vibrant scribbles while they were out there. And it would make Jenny's year to have spent a part of her summer with none other than THE Blair Waldorf!

They parted at the exit from Central Park. The sun was beginning to set, and Dan couldn't wait to get home and tell Jenny the brilliant news. He saw no problems coming from his parents. Any objections they had would soon fall by the wayside when he pointed out how miserable they were making him and Jenny with their constant arguing – and anyway, Blair would steamroller over anything else they had to say after his attempt to guilt them into subservience.

It was such a Blair Waldorf thought that he paused, considering her influence upon him. That was his mistake. Before he knew what was happening, a limo he hadn't noticed tailing him was beside him and he was dragged inside. Chuck Bass sat on one of the seats, surveying him with lazy disinterest, while Nate glared at him furiously. Dan knew this was bad. Holding him in his seat were two brawly men. Both had tattoos, scars, and lacked several of their teeth. They smiled at him threateningly.

"I told you to stay away from Blair," snarled Nate through gritted teeth.

Dan forced himself to laugh. The men holding him flexed their muscles, and the laughter died in his throat.

"I don't have to do anything you say, Archibald!" he replied, his attempt at finding the situation amusing being replaced by genuine fury toward the upper classes. How dare Nate think he could intimate Dan with any of this! The name of Archibald and two hired thugs held no sway with someone like Dan. He was above all of it.

Chuck restrained Nate calmly. He was only now beginning to appear interested.

"I didn't care when you were watching her stupid movies," fumed Nate, trying to find a way past Chuck. "But how dare you try and kiss her in public! She's mine!"

Dan snorted in disgust. "You don't own Blair Waldorf! You're privileged that she even speaks to scum like you!"

Chuck allowed Nate past him for long enough to land one punch. Dan's lip was split open and he tasted blood. The pain was hardly there. He was too angry.

"You coward!" he shouted, struggling fiercely. "You're only coming after me because you know I can't fight back! You weren't so fist-happy at Blair's party when it was one on one, were you?"

"Be quiet," ordered Chuck lazily, forcing Nate to sit down on the other side of him. For some reason, it was Chuck who spoke from then on, holding up a hand every now and then to silence Nate in the beginnings of a remark. Dan was casually informed that Nate was sick and tired of the situation and that if Dan refused to end his friendship with Blair, he would have to suffer.

Dan didn't even consider telling Chuck that he would and then going back on his word once he was out of the car. It was dishonest and cowardly. He would face this like a man and make his father proud of him. He would show Nate what a real man would do when ordered to give up the friendship of someone as remarkable as Blair Waldorf!

So he told Chuck to go fuck himself.

Chuck's lip curled. "Oh, Brooklyn –" Dan grimaced. That nickname was one he balked at allowing even Blair to use! "– I've tried."

Dan grimaced again. For different reasons.

The limo continued on through the streets of New York. Nate wasn't allowed to place another finger upon him. Chuck was quite firm about that. After all, why else the hired help? Dan resigned himself to what was about to happen with quiet rage. He would take the beating and avenge himself on Nate Archibald as soon as he could. Chuck Bass was almost irrelevant, even though he was evidently the brains behind the operation and ultimately gave the order. But him, Dan could understand. He was Nate's best friend. And wouldn't Dan similarly do anything for Blair?

He was silent, not allowing a sound to drop from his lips the entire time, no matter how much pain he was in. For some reason, he couldn't stop remembering how happy Blair had been when he'd agreed to go to the Hamptons. Her promise to follow him home to New York suddenly meant a lot to him. It was a promise that she could not be without him, as he could never have acquiesced to Nate and Chuck's demands. They were the same, they felt the same. They had not given way.

Nate had. And Dan would use that to his advantage.

Half an hour later, they dumped him in the gutter close to Central Park and drove away, victorious.

**NB** - So, thoughts on how Blair's going to react to this? Nate might be a bit OOC here, but he's always had a bit of a vicious streak in him, and with Chuck, well, you can never be sure what's going through Chuck's mind can you? Lol I hope you like this. Lots of Dan/Blair next chapter as they deal with this!


	10. Nine

**Nine**

Blair shared the universal hatred of hospitals with almost every other person in the world. They were agents of death, and she was terrified as she arrived at Lennox Hill Hospital, searching for the ward Jenny had told her about.

She was alternating between indignant fury and terror. She'd believed New York was safe! How had the police dared to let her down this way? And whoever had laid a finger upon Dan was going to suffer, that much she knew.

She located the Humphries sitting outside the ward within seconds and ran to them, forgetting her manners and demanding news. There were only two of them. Where on earth was Dan's mother at a time like this?

"He's ok," Rufus told her. He was pale with worry, and evidently just as angry as she. "He has some broken ribs and a concussion. They're going to keep him in overnight just to be safe, but he'll be fine."

Blair's worry abated and she had to grab Jenny to stop herself from falling. Her knees felt impossibly shaky, but what did that matter? Dan was alive. Dan was ok.

"What happened?" she asked, close to tears with relief.

"The police think he was mugged, but nothing was taken," said Rufus darkly. "Dan must have fought them off."

Yes, that sounded like Dan. Brave, stupid Dan who would think it was ok to risk his life to save anything, even his own wallet. Blair hated that about him so intensely at that moment.

"Can we see him?" she asked. "Can I?"

Rufus nodded. "Not for long," he warned her, and then grabbed her arm when she was about to walk into the room. "We're only allowed in one at a time. Alison is with him."

Blair wanted to storm in and see him straight away, but she forced herself to wait her turn. The chair she sat upon was horridly uncomfortable and the coffee from the machine down the hallway was grey, but she knew that even five star service wouldn't make her feel any better. Only the sight of Dan, alive and well, would do that.

She had to wait longer than she felt able to. When Alison came out, Rufus went inside. After thanking Blair for coming, Alison sat in silence. It was Blair who took over Rufus's place in putting an arm around Jenny to comfort her. The young girl was trembling. Even in her own confused frame of mind, Blair was surprised that Alison made no move towards her daughter. She looked strangely detached from the whole scene, although Blair remembered reading somewhere that shock affected people differently and she really didn't have the time to judge Alison. Her every thought needed to be focused on Dan, as though that alone could fix him.

Broken ribs. They were dangerous. They restricted your breathing and if one punctured his lung – but he was already in a hospital and had been taken care of. They would have bound his chest or something. She'd read that somewhere. And be giving him something for the pain. Broken ribs heal. Bones heal. She was sure of that.

But what about the concussion? That frightened her more. Serena had had concussion once, and Blair had heard it called _mild traumatic brain injury_. How on earth could a traumatic injury to the brain be mild? No brain injury was mild! The idea of Dan's brain being damaged made her feel suffocated, and she worked hard to control her breathing. She understood why Jenny was trembling, and was grateful that she was. The temptation to sneak away to the bathroom was almost overwhelming, but she ordered herself to stay put. Jenny needed someone to take care of her, and Alison obviously wouldn't. Besides, Serena had recovered. Serena was fine – or had been last time Blair saw her.

Dan would be fine too. There was no other option.

Rufus came out and Jenny went in.

Blair glanced at the toilet sign, then pointedly looked the other way. She was in control of this situation. Dan would be fine. Rufus had told her so. Her rational mind told her so. But she knew she wouldn't believe it until she saw him herself.

"How are we going to pay for this?" Alison murmured, looking around the hospital.

Rufus and Blair both stared at her, unable to believe she'd just said that. Dan was lying, broken, just a few feet away. He'd been attacked and beaten. How could she think about money right now?

"How can you think about that right now?" demanded Rufus furiously. "All that matters is that he gets better."

Alison's eyes flashed. "Of course I know that, Rufus. But there are other things we also have to consider –"

"Not right now we don't," said Rufus coldly.

Alison half stood up. Her face was alive now, filled with burning fire as though she despised Rufus more than anything she'd ever seen before."I hate it when you interrupt –!"

"Shut up," ordered Blair nastily. Alison and Rufus looked round, shocked. "You should be ashamed of yourselves! Dan is being kept in hospital because he was attacked in the street, and you two think you can use that for another one of your petty fights? I won't let you use Dan that way. So shut up."

An awkward silence fell. The fury Blair felt towards whomever had committed the crime had found an outlet, and she was itching to say more; to condemn their recent behaviour. She felt the urge to tell them how Dan couldn't stand to be around them anymore; how ashamed he was of them; how worried he was about the effect their arguments were having on Jenny.

"You're right," Rufus murmured. "I'm sorry Blair. That was insensitive of us." He reached out, placing a gentle hand on Blair's wrist. "We know you love him too."

Blair nodded. Her eyes were suddenly stinging and she blinked rapidly, trying to soothe them. Rufus left his hand where it was, and she was grateful that he did. It felt like an anchor, tying her to normality. Keeping her from committing the most dreadful sin of all and making Dan hate himself for being the incident that triggered her relapse. She wouldn't do that. If Dan could survive this, she could make it on her own. She would. She'd show Dan that his faith in her had not been misplaced.

Jenny came out and Blair stood up. Her turn. She practically ran through the doors in search of Dan, and found herself in a semi-private room. The other patient looked as though they were asleep. Blair didn't care.

Dan was lying in a hospital gown that was covered with hospital sheets. He was wired up to several machines, one of which was continuously beeping. It was his heart. The sound, so loud and abrasive, was music to Blair's ears.

As she stepped closer, she realised that Rufus had not given her a detailed explanation. Not really. Dan's arms were covered in ugly bruises from his attempts to shelter his head from the blows. His mouth was swollen and there was a graze on his forehead that was angrily red. His chest was thick from the bandages wrapped around it. Blair felt sick.

Dan, however, tried to smile.

"Blair." He sounded happy and his hand reached out to her. She stumbled forwards and took it as gently as she could. She hardly wanted to touch him at all, terrified of hurting him. He tugged her closer, his other arm coming up as though he meant to hug her. She evaded his arms and saw the confusion in his eyes.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said, her eyes darting from bruise to bruise.

"Then hug me," Dan replied, begged.

Blair hesitated for a few more seconds then carefully embraced him, trying exceptionally hard not to put any pressure on any part of his body. Dan's arms felt weak around her. She remembered how easily he had lifted her only a matter of hours earlier in the park, and repressed the urge to cry.

She gently pulled back and sat down in the seat pulled up close to the bed. Dan refused to relinquish her hand.

"I was so worried about you," said Blair. "I am worried about you," she corrected herself instantly. "I didn't know it was this bad ..."

Dan attempted a shrug and hissed in pain. Blair leapt up, preparing to call for a nurse, but Dan squeezed her hand and asked her not to. After a second, his expression cleared and Blair sat down again.

"I fractured three ribs," Dan explained, tenderly touching his own chest. "They thought I might have flail chest but I don't."

Blair didn't ask what flail chest was. Dan didn't have it. It didn't matter. She smiled at him sadly and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"That's good. What about the concussion?"

"It'll go away on its own," said Dan. If his replies were a little slower than usual, Blair honestly didn't care. It was enough that he was able to reply at all. Serena had been far less coherent, and she'd been absolutely fine within a week or two!

"You need to get better," Blair told him. "That's an order."

Dan chuckled, and winced. "I'll make sure to," he promised.

Blair filed away the fact that she shouldn't try to make him laugh. It caused nothing but pain for him, and considering the amount he was already in, she didn't want to add to it.

Dan was gazing at her. He tightened his hold on her hand. "Did you mean what you said, Blair? That you'd follow me back to New York?"

Blair was temporarily disorientated before she remembered the conversation he was referring to. She leaned closer.

"Of course I did!" she exclaimed. "You're my best friend. I couldn't let you go no matter what."

Dan closed his eyes with relief. He opened them quickly and saw Blair's concern. The only thing making her hold her tongue was concern for his wellbeing.

"I'm not going to tell the police what I'm about to tell you," he told her. A warning. She was not to repeat it. "I wasn't mugged. It was Nate. He was waiting for me in a limo with Chuck and two guys he hired."

Blair's mouth fell open. She felt as though she'd been stabbed. The betrayal was too much and she frantically shook her head. Not a denial. Nor did she disbelieve Dan. It was simply too much to take in that the man she'd loved for all these years could do something so barbaric and cruel to her best friend in the whole world. He wouldn't touch Dan, he wouldn't. She'd told him what would happen if he did. She'd warned him. Dan was a part of her now. Surely Nate would know that by hurting Dan, he was hurting Blair? Because she was hurting. So much! She was bleeding tears.

Dan held onto her tightly, afraid that she would leave, but Blair would never do such a thing. They were beyond of all of this. She knew it. She believed in that. Dan was all she needed to survive. And Nate was trying to jeopardise that. It was so clean cut when you said it like that. The Nate she loved would never do this. A Nate who loved her wouldn't either.

Perhaps she'd been wrong.

And there was Dan, promising not to tell the police and ruin them. It would have ruined them. Her boyfriend and his best friend. She was suddenly disgusted by herself. She felt dirty. How could she not in front of Dan's heroic, chivalrous self? She knew it was all for her. He had taken the beating and now protected the perpetrators because he didn't want to hurt her.

It was a shame she could not have protected him from that same plight.

Forcing a smile, she leaned forward and kissed Dan's forehead, careful to avoid the graze. He closed his eyes to receive the gift of her lips.

"I'm going to let you get some sleep now, and I will be back first thing tomorrow morning. So sleep, Dan, and don't worry. I'm going to sort it out."

She smiled at him genuinely now, seeing the trust in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely, and she nodded. He truthfully was. It was almost funny: he was beaten until he landed in the hospital, and he was apologising for it. That was why he was the most wonderful man she'd ever met.

"Don't apologise. You have nothing to apologise for," Blair told him firmly. "I should have taken better care of you."

She trailed a finger over his cheek, taking care not to touch his swollen mouth. But in avoiding it, she drew attention to it and couldn't help but lean down and kiss it. The merest brush of her lips over his, hardly a kiss at all, merely an expression of everything she felt. There would never be enough time to put it into words.

But Dan understood, as always, and looked content when she stood up.

"Go to sleep," she ordered. "I'll be back tomorrow. I swear."

Dan watched her leave. Blair made her excuses to the Humphrey family, claiming that her mother had ordered to return home, and promised to return within hours. She walked away from them, hating the lie but accepting that it was necessary.

She wasn't heading home. Not yet. She had to find Nate.

**NB - **So, what do you think Blair's going to do to Nate when she finds him? *evil smile* Comments are gold! Tell me what you thought of this =]


	11. Ten

**Ten**

Nate was asleep. Blair had been let in by a sleepy Ann Archibald who hadn't even asked what Blair was doing there at three o'clock in the morning. She simply stepped aside. Something in Blair's eyes spoke of danger, and Ann was of the opinion that anything important enough to bring Blair Waldorf here must be beyond her understanding. She returned to bed.

Blair entered Nate's bedroom, feeling slightly detached from what she was about to do. What she knew she had to do.

She woke him by ripping the covers off of him. As cool air hit his body, Nate sat bolt upright with a startled shout. Blair flipped the light on, blinding him.

"What the hell –?" he paused. "Blair?"

There was his confession. A slight quiver in his voice revealing that he knew exactly why she was there. Too bad Blair never had any doubts to be chased away.

"Get dressed," she told him coldly. "And come downstairs. Now."

She left and was waiting in one of the sitting rooms when he arrived. He looked crumpled, handsome, and confused. Blair didn't see any of it.

"What are you doing here?" Nate asked, and Blair laughed. She was surprised by herself, but the sound left her mouth before she could understand it. Nate looked unnerved.

"Were you trying to kill him?" Blair asked, truly intrigued.

"Who?" Nate's wide-eyed innocence was a look she recognised. That it was fake was something she'd never considered. It stunned her for a moment.

"You know who." She was even angrier now. Colder. That Nate feigned ignorance just made it all worse. It cheapened Dan, made him insignificant, and she wouldn't have that. "How dare you touch him!"

Nate's nostrils flared. It was hideously unattractive. "How dare he touch you! How dare you treat him better than you do me!"

"You are not going to dictate this conversation Nate," she told him, still using that quiet voice. It was even more frightening than her screams. Nate swallowed, trying to get a read on her, but he finally realised that the woman before him was a stranger he'd never bothered to listen to.

"Why did you do it?"

Nate raked his fingers through his hair, suddenly aware of how much he had to lose. It had all seemed so easy in daylight. Then, Blair's earlier words hit him. She'd asked if he'd meant to kill Dan. Kill. As though ...

He staggered back. "Oh my God. Is he –?"

"He's alive," said Blair in clipped tones. "That doesn't change what you did. Now tell me why you did it."

Nate took a moment to revel in relief. For a moment, his future had morphed before him into a world of shame and jail. Even his father's plans were better than that! He looked up at Blair and saw the pain he'd inflicted upon her. It struck a chord within him. She was beautiful when she was sad. How had he never noticed that before?

"I saw the pair of you in the park earlier," he said quietly. "And I just snapped. You're _my_ girlfriend Blair, not his. But he's the one you're feeding the ducks with. He's the one touching you as though you're his!" Nate shook his head. "I couldn't cope with it."

Blair looked at him without any change to her facial expression. She was examining every inch of his face, and found it devastatingly handsome. There was a tug in her gut. The tug that came whenever he said things like that. Whenever he said _I love you_. Whenever he said that he couldn't stand the fact that she gave all of her attention to Dan instead of him.

They were lies. All of them. She could see it now, so clearly. She never gave Dan attention that she had previously bestowed on Nate. She'd been lonely when they met ... because Nate was never there for her. Not like Dan. Not like Nate should have been.

"So you snapped and followed Dan," she mused, and Nate nodded.

"Yeah, I did."

She smiled coldly. A viper ready to strike. "Then where did your hired help come from?"

Nate froze.

Blair laughed again. Clear and loud. "You're a liar Nate. You've been lying to me for so long ... How didn't I see it before?"

Nate's brow furrowed. He took a step forwards, about to plead his case, and that wouldn't do at all, so Blair spoke over him angrily, striding towards him purposely as she did so.

"You had them with you already. You were waiting. You planned this, all of it. You followed me because you knew I was meeting Dan in the park and you waited until I was gone before you snatched him and beat him until his chest caved in!"

Her voice rose into hysterics and then she was beating him, her hands slapping and scratching every part of him she could reach. She was mad, frenzied, unable to stop until arms dragged her away. Nate was cowering on the floor, bleeding across his cheek where one of her nails had found its mark. Ann bent over him, horrified, and Blair realised it was the Captain, Nate's father, holding her away from his son, shouting that she'd gone crazy.

Nate looked up at Blair, shocked, and she saw him for the first time in her life. He was a coward. Pathetic. Beneath her. She deserved more, and when she found it, he tried to take it away. Nate didn't do this out of love for her, or even jealousy. It was possession. Nate considered her his property and was prepared to do whatever it took to recover her. But Dan, Dan loved her for her. He knew more about her in a few months than Nate had learnt in ten years. He had protected her, had taken this beating for her, and she'd been the one foolish enough to believe that Nate and Dan could ever be friends. She must be mad!

She struggled out of the Captain's hold and strode towards Nate. Ann stepped in the way, and Blair paused. _You're above this_, a voice in her head murmured. It sounded like Dan.

"Dan is the most important person in my life right now. Without him, I don't think I'd even be alive right now. And he comes first. So you need to stay away from him," she told Nate. There was no more fury left in her. Only weariness so overwhelming it nearly knocked her over. She just wanted to go to the hospital and help Dan and his family, the way they had helped her when she needed them. "Don't come anywhere near Dan again. If you do, we'll go to the police and you'll be arrested for attempted murder."

Ann and the Captain gasped. They began to shout questions at her, but Blair had had enough. She left the house and walked home to change. Turning up at a hospital in your pyjamas was fine in the middle of the night, but not during the day. Besides, she didn't want Dan to see her in this state. He had enough to worry about.

Eleanor was in the hallway shouting at Dorota when Blair stepped out of the elevator. The moment Eleanor saw Blair, she ran across the hall and hugged her daughter fiercely.

"Where on earth have you been?" she demanded, pulling back, her relief returning to anger. "You weren't in your bed! What ... Is that blood?"

Eleanor was silent as she reached out and lifted Blair's hand. It was the one that had torn through Nate's cheek, and his blood stained it. Blair was surprised she hadn't noticed.

"Blair, what happened?" asked Eleanor, suddenly frightened. "Dorota, fetch hot water and some towels," she ordered, and pulled Blair over to the staircase. They both sat on the bottom step and Eleanor carefully examined Blair's hand, searching for the cut.

"Dan's in the hospital," Blair murmured. "Nate Archibald attacked him for being my friend."

Eleanor didn't know quite what to say. She pulled Blair into her arms as Blair broke down into tears and rocked her as she hadn't since Blair was a little girl. Dorota returned and she gently cleaned the blood from Blair's hand tenderly and then began to bathe Blair's face with the same care. Blair's eyes were swollen from the force of her pain.

"Darling, I'm so sorry," Eleanor whispered over and over, wondering which subject to tackle first. "Will Dan be ok?"

Blair nodded, hiccupping. "He has concussion and three broken ribs. He looks awful, Mom. He's so ..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I didn't know what to do. His little sister was so scared, and his parents started having some stupid argument about money, and then he told me about Nate."

Blair paused, and looked up at her mother. She needed some reassurance, but Eleanor knew the story had not yet ended, so she remained silent.

"I went to see him. He planned it, Mom. He hired people to do it for him." Eleanor shuddered with abhorrence. "How could he do that to me? I don't understand! How could he hurt Dan? Doesn't he know how much I need him? I do need him, Mom, so much, and he's in pain because of me and I don't know what I'll do if –"

Eleanor pressed a finger against Blair's mouth. "He'll be fine, darling. I promise you. As for Nathaniel Archibald –" her voice dripped with loathing and contempt "– you will never have to associate with him ever again."

Blair sniffed once, twice, and lay her head back on Eleanor's shoulder. Eleanor began to rock her once again. Dorota sang a gentle Polish lullaby, but Blair couldn't sleep. The sun would be rising soon and then she had to return to the hospital to be with Dan, to help him through this the way he helped her.

She found herself talking uncontrollably, filled with a desire to have her mother know who Dan was and what he had done for her. Eleanor was silent as she listened and found herself crying too. She'd never considered that Harold's leaving might have caused Blair to relapse, and was ashamed of herself. Ashamed of the distance she'd enforced towards Blair. She should have known, should have been there, and would be in the future.

But there was also this boy – from Brooklyn, of all places! – who had ridden in on a white horse and rescued Blair from it all with such ease. She was momentarily jealous of Blair, before being unimaginably grateful that she'd been saved.

Eleanor felt like a mother again. Blair looked and dressed and talked like an adult, but she was only a child. She was so young and needy and Eleanor was revelling in it. She and Dorota worked in sync to bathe Blair. Eleanor couldn't help glancing at the toilet and every time she did, she stroked Blair's hair with added softness. Blair was a pliant doll, allowing them to towel dry her hair, moisturise her hands, and dress her.

Eleanor took Blair back to the hospital, and didn't object when Dorota climbed into the cab as well. She wasn't an employee at that moment; the way she loved Blair was evident in the way she held Blair's hand. There was something fierce in her gaze.

Eleanor hated hospitals, but she didn't hesitate in following Blair through to the correct ward. Jenny was fast asleep, curled up in a chair next to her father Rufus. Alison was obviously in the ward with Dan. Blair waited for her turn patiently, fetching Rufus another cup of coffee. He looked terrible; tired and drawn. Dorota disappeared in search of a viable breakfast for the Humphrey family when Alison emerged and Blair hurried in to see Dan.

It was then that Eleanor reminded Rufus of when they'd met before, when Lily had been rebellious and made the polar opposites of New York mingle. Alison's eyes hardened, Rufus blushed, and Eleanor pushed the advantage. She insisted on paying for Dan's medical bills.

Alison and Rufus were united by outrage at the situation, but she would not back down. She pointed out how many times Dan had helped Blair, even hinting towards her daughter's condition, and the Humphrey's were silenced. Eleanor insisted and they realised they couldn't fight that.

Blair found Dan half asleep, but he perked up when he saw her. Their hands fused together as Blair asked how he was feeling. Dan shifted awkwardly.

"I want to go home," he complained. "I'm not sick enough to be in here."

Blair glared at him sternly. "You're not leaving for as long as it takes to make you perfect."

"Great, I'm never getting out of here," Dan groaned, and Blair couldn't help smiling at him. She leaned forwards, resting her head on his arm and gazed at his battered face. Knowing him, she could see his handsome features, blurring out the imperfections. In fact, was she seeing things, or was the swelling slightly reduced since a few hours ago?

"Did you see Nate?" Dan asked gently, and Blair nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Blair smiled at the selfless question. She squeezed Dan's hand, resisting the urge to kiss it. "He's not important right now."

Dan nodded his agreement. "Good, because it would have been a conversation filled with metaphorical Nate-bashing. Maybe a bit of Chuck too."

Blair laughed and didn't mention she may have bashed Nate a little too literally.

**NB** - Unfortunately, this is not the last we see of Nate. Dan's recovery and Blair's part in it coming up!


	12. Eleven

**Eleven**

Blair thoroughly enjoyed playing the role of nursemaid, and Dan had to admit that he was enjoying being the recipient. When he was released from the hospital, he found Blair had already sprung into action. His favourite foods had been cooked, his favourite movies gathered, and a pair of silk pyjamas that probably cost more than his bed bought. There had even been talk of an actual nurse, and Dan had been forced to put his foot down on that point.

Rufus and Alison watched with bemusement as Blair took control of their household. After picking Dan up in a town car she'd hired specially – talking about the germs in cabs as though she were describing a serial killer – she'd summoned Dorota who was scurrying around under her instruction. Dan's bedside table was now holding a bunch of beautiful flowers (that Jenny had fallen in love with) as well as a thermometer, his painkillers, and a bottle of still water flown in from Laurds.

Blair was there when he woke up and there when he fell asleep, fluffing up his pillows and checking his bandages. She returned to the loft on her lunch hour instead of going to the Met steps. More often than not, she curled up on the bed next to him at night. Rufus and Alison weren't entirely happy about that, but since both Dan and Blair insisted that everything would remain platonic and Blair didn't really give them much choice, they had to silently disapprove.

However, all good things must come to an end. Dan was proclaimed fit to return to school after a week, and Blair was summoned home by her mother, but not before the impossible happened. Blair's presence and evident love for Dan had made her practically family – a little like Vanessa had once been, but Dan didn't like the comparison. For some reason, with Blair, everything felt just that bit more special. But, being a family member in the Humphrey household meant pots of Rufus's famous chilli, being a model for Jenny's latest designs, and invitations to Linkin Hawk concerts.

To which Blair had agreed to go.

She'd even Google'd what was appropriate attire for such an occasion and been shopping especially. Dan thought she was taking all of this far too seriously, but he wasn't stupid enough to say so. She turned up three hours early and fell across his bed dramatically; rousing him from the light slumber he'd been in.

"I can't believe I'm going to a concert in Brooklyn." Her nose wrinkled in disgust and she feigned an exaggerated shudder. "Who hangs out in Brooklyn?"

"Me," Dan pointed out. He'd heard Blair's side of this conversation several times.

"Who is important and hangs out in Brooklyn?" she corrected herself.

"You."

Blair couldn't help smiling at him. "I am very important. Even in Brooklyn."

Dan rolled his eyes and tried to settle back down to sleep, but Blair had decided it was time he get up. She poked his hip repeatedly, careful to avoid his still-tender ribs.

"Up, Brooklyn boy. You need to shower and shave and –"

"Sleep. I need to sleep," Dan replied, fending her hands away. "My preparation's for my dad's concerts take fifteen minutes, so leave me alone."

Blair hissed with shock at the lack of time and attention, but kicked off her heels and scooted up to lie beside him, carefully arranging her hair so as not to flatten it. Dan reached for her hand and tried to fall asleep again. He would be returning to school the next day, and the thought worried him. Whilst safely ensconced in Brooklyn and being showered with Blair's affection, he'd managed to ignore the burning hatred in his stomach. Returning to St. Jude's meant facing _him_, the bastard responsible for his overnight stay in hospital.

He'd heard very little from Blair. She's informed him of her trip to Nate's and that she hadn't spoken to him since; had in fact barely seen him since she flitted in and out of school for lessons only. Dan's knuckles flexed at the very thought of being close to Nathaniel Archibald. He didn't spare Chuck Bass a second thought; he was nothing. Nate was the one Dan hated.

"You're hurting my hand," Blair whispered, and Dan immediately loosened his grip. Blair was looking at him with gentleness and joy. There was something different between them since the hospital. Maybe it was the fact that Blair was now single, or that she'd stood up for Dan when push came to shove. Whatever it was, Dan felt moments like these stretch into something inexplicable but tangible.

"I've missed you at school," Blair told him, and Dan chuckled.

"I've been gone for a few weeks, and you've been here practically the whole time," he pointed out, and Blair shrugged.

"That isn't the point."

Dan laughed and lifted his arm. Blair cuddled close to him, careful to avoid his chest, and settled her head on his shoulder while he loosely embraced her. It was a position they'd adopted on the third night Blair slept over, and it was as though they'd been sleeping that way for years. Dan dozed off quickly, but Blair lay awake, tracing patterns on Dan's shirt just above his heart.

She'd been surprised by the intensity with which she'd feared losing Dan, and it was an experience she never wanted to repeat. The longer she spent in Brooklyn, the easier it was to be here, out of sight. Escaping the pressures of the Upper East Side where she had to look and be perfect all the time was a release, but she couldn't help wondering how long she would feel that way. As Dan grew better and she could bear to spend time apart from him, would she return to her old life? Something about Brooklyn appeared to be seeping into her, making her appreciate the important things about family and home.

It was something she'd taken to the penthouse with her. Eleanor appeared to be trying to make up for her weeks of absentee mothering by taking a far more active interest in Blair's life. This involved a lot of shopping, and a great deal of it had been for Dan. Eleanor had realised the quickest way to fully regain Blair's trust was through the beaten boy with a hero-complex, and she had exploited that for all it was worth.

Yet, Blair found herself secretly preferring the old, worn, tatty sweats that smelled like Dan. They suited him, and looked like shabby chic when he wore them. That confirmed her self-diagnosis: Brooklyn was infecting her. She couldn't honestly say she minded too much. Especially not at moments like these.

She was looking forward to summer. It wasn't far away now. Soon, she and Dan would completely escape the city and then … Well, something would change. She was sure of it. What, she didn't quite know, but she was eager for it to happen.

"Sleep," Dan mumbled. "Come on. You're making me nervous."

Blair laughed and settled back down. She hadn't even realised Dan wasn't asleep, but she wasn't embarrassed to be caught watching him. Everything was different with Dan.

"I'm really glad you're here, Blair," Dan whispered. They both knew he was thanking her for choosing him. Blair felt a little uneasy. Strictly speaking, she hadn't chosen Dan. She'd left Nate. But that was mere semantics.

"Me too," she replied.

They were woken by Jenny half an hour before they were due to leave and after Blair panicked about her hair for the entire time it took Dan to freshen up, stepped out of the loft with Jenny and headed for the concert.

"You're kind of like a pimp," Jenny noted, gesturing to both hers and Blair's arms hooked through his. "And we're you're –"

"Do not finish that sentence with _hoes_, little Jenny Humphrey," Blair chided instantly. "I'm a Waldorf. I will never be anyone's hoe."

Jenny giggled. Dan rolled his eyes as Blair tried to disentangle her arm from his and he gripped it tighter.

"You're my hoe, Waldorf. Get over it," he told her teasingly.

Jenny waited to laugh until Blair smiled, slapping Dan with her free hand in punishment. Now that Nate was officially out of the picture, Blair and Dan's relationship was all Jenny could think about. She knew she had a guaranteed in with the Constance girls due to her knowing Blair, but she continued pushing for them to take the final step. She'd have the best in ever if they were an actual _couple_.

The concert wasn't like anything Blair had ever experienced. It started similarly to the theatre in that everyone took their seats and fell into polite silence when Rufus and his band walked out onto the stage. Then, everything changed. The music was loud, almost obnoxious to her classically trained ears, but there was something unrestrained and wild about it that made her think of Dan and the few snippets of his writing she'd been privileged to see; beauty in the darkness.

Soon, everyone was up and dancing. The seats became an inconvenience. Jenny was moving carefully, her every move rehearsed as she pouted and preened. Blair thought she looked ridiculous.

Dan looked embarrassing. He couldn't dance well formally, and informally he was much worse, but he didn't care. He shouted along to the words, laughed, and jumped around like he was having the time of his life.

"Come on, Blair," he ordered, having to scream in her ear to make himself heard. "I danced at your party. Now you have to dance in Brooklyn."

There was a challenge in his words, and Blair decided to throw caution to the wind. The music immediately infected her and she moved with reckless abandon. Her hair was ruined, her clothes damp with perspiration, and her makeup was no doubt smeared across her face, but she didn't think about it.

All she could think about was how handsome Dan was like this; how sexy his hair looked when it was mused as though he'd just had sex; how hot his body was beside hers. She forgot all about the Upper East Side and the implications of her last name, for a little while. She was just Blair, dancing with Dan.

"I'm starving," Blair shouted as the concert began to wind down. They made Jenny promise not to go _anywhere_, and headed outside. The cold air was uncomfortable on her clammy skin, and Blair shuddered. Dan instantly wrapped an arm around her and tucked her against his side as he headed for a hot dog stand.

"Wow," Blair gushed while Dan bought them two hotdogs. "That was so different to anything I've ever experienced! Your dad is a lot cooler than I first thought."

Dan laughed as he proffered her one of the hot dogs. "That still isn't cool though, is it?"

Blair didn't reply. She had raised an eyebrow at the hot dog. "You don't really expect me to eat that, do you?" she asked, sounding both haughty and nervous.

Dan stared at her until she took it from him, holding it by the very tips of her fingers as though it were diseased.

"Just eat it," he ordered. "Tonight, you're doing everything Brooklyn-style."

Again, there was a challenge to his voice and she'd eaten the hot dog before she'd even come up with a response. It was greasy and oily and wonderful, and Dan laughed hysterically when she bought a second one.

"I knew I could do it," he teased after she'd finished and she raised her eyebrows in question. "Make you forget your breeding for a few hours."

Blair smiled, suddenly nauseous. The night had been perfect. Dan was perfect. But she was suddenly aware that this wasn't _her_. The hot dogs lay like stones in her gut.

Dan insisted on accompanying Blair home. Jenny went with Rufus, much to Jenny's chagrin, and Dan's relief. He liked his little sister, but the way she hung off Blair's every word was beyong annoying.

Blair's head was nestled in the crook of his neck in the cab and she was holding his hand quite tightly. Something was bothering her, Dan knew it, but he also knew there was no point in questioning her. Blair wasn't in a sharing mood or she would have started talking about whatever the problem was already. Instead, she traced patterns over his chest.

"Dan?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you like me more in Brooklyn than you do in the Upper East Side?"

Dan blinked, confused. "I never think of you as two different people. You're just Blair."

Blair smiled. The cab pulled up outside her building and she handed enough money over for Dan's return trip to Brooklyn as well as her own. "Thank you for tonight," she told him and kissed his cheek.

"Do you want me to walk you up?" Dan offered.

Blair hid her wince as she said no and hurried into her building, head low so that her hair hid her identity. She didn't want to admit to Dan that she would be ashamed for them to be seen together when they looked the way they did. She ran through the penthouse, eager to avoid her mother and Dorota, and locked herself in her bathroom.

Her hair hung in strings around her pallid, sweaty face. Horrified, she jumped into the shower, barely taking the time to tear off her clothes. The water washed away the stench and dirt of Brooklyn, and Blair was relieved when she was surrounded by the smell of expensive soap and shampoo. It was the longest shower she'd ever taken and when she climbed out, her freak out seemed bizarre and yet she wasn't surprised it had happened. In fact, she was shocked it had taken this long for it to happen.

The weight of the hot dogs was suddenly unbearable, and Blair committed the ultimate betrayal, sobbing as she did so, apologising to Dan over and over as her body shuddered over the toilet. For some strange reason, she thought of Nate and how disgusted he would be if he saw her now.

She clambered into bed, emotionally and physically exhausted, and didn't have the energy to check her phone when it rang. She did not see the Gossip Girl blast. Later that night, Dan's call went unanswered for the first time ever.

**NB** - So, the fallout of this and Dan's first meeting with Nate since what happened is coming up! I'm sorry it took me so long to post this. I'm really excited for the next series! =] It's only a few weeks away now!


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